50 Pastas Cheeseburger Pasta with Arugula Fennel Salad
Yes, those are dill pickles you see and believe it or not they are a star ingredient in today’s pasta night!
Trust me on this; you are not going to want to miss the chance to make Cheeseburger Pasta! Yes, you read that right…CHEESE-BURGER- PASTA…there is such a thing and it is delicious, especially when served with a lightly dressed simple salad of arugula and fennel.
You ready to give this a try? Believe me…this ain’t yo mama’s “Hamburger Helper!” Let’s begin…
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet then add some ketchup to the pan. If the thought of adding ketchup to a pasta dish brings to mind “redneck spaghetti” I assure you this is not that dish! Keep reading…I won’t steer you wrong…hang with me!
Cover that ketchup with some chopped onions and pickles…see it’s like it was never there. (WINK!) Toss together in the pan.
Add in your cooked macaroni and shredded cheese and you have cheeseburger pasta…but wait…there’s more! Let’s take this pasta and add another element so we can “Kick it up a notch” with an arugula-fennel salad.
Arugula and shaved fennel are tossed together in a vinaigrette consisting of shallots, Dijon mustard, lemon and canola oil. What you get is a delightfully simple salad to compliment your cheeseburger pasta .
This isn’t just a Cheeseburger pasta…it’s a Cheeseburger pasta with “the works!” The pasta itself tastes traditional then the salad comes in with that mustardy acidic bite that lets the flavors sing! The Fennel adds interest to the flavor with the subtle licorice taste and a lovely crunch.
Seriously, you need to try this…it it life changing! Are you a believer?
- 1 LB Ground Beef
- Olive oil
- ¾ cup Ketchup
- ½ cup pickles chopped
- ½ cup onions chopped
- 1 LB macaroni cooked
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 Tbs shallot finely chopped
- 2 Tsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ Tsp Dijon Mustard
- 3 Tbs canola oil
- 6 oz baby arugula leaves
- ½ fennel bulb cored and very thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef. Once the beef is browned, stir in the ketchup, pickles and onions and cook for about 1 minute. Toss in the cooked macaroni and cheddar cheese and mix together thoroughly. Serve immediately.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the shallot, lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Gradually whisk in the canola oil until the mixture is emulsified and creamy looking. Toss in the arugula and fennel. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
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