BBQ Bacon, Cheeseburger Macaroni

 

I took the opportunity the other day to make another recipe using some of that delicious Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce I was sent last week.  I had in mind to make my Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner for  supper one night and decided to add some of the sauce to it with most delicious results!  

I have been making Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta for years and years. It has always been a favourite of the missionaries when they come over for supper.

 

JACK DANIELS BBQ SAUCE RANGE 

All suitable for VEGANS (except for the HONEY BBQ GLAZE)

With Jack Daniel’s Sauces, it’s easy to surprise and delight family and friends. Simply serve up luxuriously sticky, glazed chicken wings and ribs, add depth to ‘low and slow’ dishes like pulled pork or beef brisket, or use the sauces as a delicious dip for fries, wedges and veggies.

The latest addition to the range is Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee Honey™ Barbecue Glaze, which is infused with the soft flavours of the popular Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee Honey™ Liqueur, giving the glaze a smooth hint of honey.

Each Jack Daniel’s Sauce is virtually fat-free with around 40 calories per typical 25g serving. Each of the sauces is suitable for vegetarians. Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauces are available nationwide from Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Waitrose, RRP £2.00. Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee Honey™ Barbecue Glaze is available in Waitrose and Tesco stores nationwide RRP £1.99

  

This skillet meal is such a family friendly favourite of ours mine. True, my husband would like it better if it was made with potatoes, but somehow I don't think potatoes would give you quite the same delicious results.  And I love potatoes!  

I think this only really works with pasta or some sort, and today it was elbow macaroni.

 

Its a texture thing really.  I really think the only way to go with this is using macaroni. Oddly enough when I was a child I hated any kind of pasta with minced beef in it. The differences in the texture used to make gag.  

 

I think I was an expert at getting minced beef out of any hole that would hold it.  At the end of a meal, the macaroni would be all gone, but there would be a tidy pile of hamburger bits sitting on the edge of my plate.

  

Now that I am an adult I find that if I leave the meat in larger lumps and brown it really well, I can tolerate it very nicely.  

 

I have actually come to enjoy it, but then I do use extra extra lean ground steak.

 

Like I said, this is very family friendly and something children really enjoy, and normally men as well.  It contains nothing too out of the ordinary.  

 

This time I substituted some of the Jack Danielle's smooth original sauce for the Worcestershire sauce in my regular recipe and I have to say it worked, really, REALLY well!

 

Just gave that sauce a little bit of extra tangy zip. I left out the herbs as well because I thought they might jar with the sauce.  

 

We didn't miss them. Not one iota. 

 

I like to use a strong cheddar because it has a lot of flavour and you don't really need a lot of it to get the same flavour impact that you might get using a larger quantity of a milder one.  

 

So less calories and fat that way. 

 

I do use tinned tomato soup in this.  I like Heinz. Its always been my favourite when it comes to tinned tomato soup.  

 

That's just a personal preference. You can use whichever one you like most.

 

There is  bacon in this, yes  . . .  try to use the leanest streaky bacon you can find. Drain it well and pat it dry with paper towels, you can cut back on the fat and calories also.

 

I also like to use a good dry cure bacon.

 

Having said all that however, this is never ever going to be on any list of healthy options when it comes to eating, but it does make a wonderful, economical and delicious once in a blue moon treat!

 

BBQ Bacon, Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner*
Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

This is one of those great family style dishes that not only tastes delicious, but is also quick, easy. It also freezes very well. 

235g uncooked elbow macaroni (2 cups)
500g extra lean minced beef (1 generous pound)
225g streaky bacon (1/2 pound)
1 small onion, peeled and minced
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tin of tomato soup

120ml hot water (1/2 cup)

65g Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce (1/4 cup)
salt to taste
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
180g extra strong cheddar cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)

  

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove with tongs and set aside to drain. Add the minced beef, onions and garlic to the drippings. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the beef is lightly browned and the vegetables are soft. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Crumble in the cooked bacon. Add the BBQ sauce, water, and tomato soup. Bring to the boil, then simmer while you cook the pasta.

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water according to the package directions until tender. Once tender, drain well and then stir into the beef mixture. Add 3/4 of the cheddar cheese and stir it in to melt, then sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top and allow to melt. Serve right from the pan with lots of crusty bread and a tasty salad on the side.

 

If  you are looking for a meal that is quick and easy, delicious and economical, and one that your family will love,  look no further.  This fits the bill on all fronts.  

 

I like to serve it with a salad on the side.  Do note that it also freezes very well and you can freeze it in single serving sized portions to pop out from the freezer for when someone is going to be on their own, or home late or even to take for lunch at work were they can just pop it into a microwave!

 

If you would like to see the original recipe you can find that here.  That was actually the last time I made this, so five whole years ago. That really is once in a blue moon!  

 

Also with there only being two of us, and no missionaries to feed, this time I cut the recipe in half so that it only made 4 servings instead of 8.  I sent the leftovers next door, and there were NO complaints!  

 

 

 

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