Do you Diamonds hate how left over Macaroni and cheese dries up.. leaving you unsure how to bring it back to life after it has been in the refrigerator? I’ve got you covered! You will never ever think of going back to eating plain, left over mac and cheese again!  This is the absolute perfect weeknight meal. Those little meals that came in the boxes are so nostalgic to all of us, and this is the ideal dish to bring back some of those old childhood memories.

• This one pan meal is a mash up of two of everyone’s favorite comfort foods… beef barbecue mixed with the remaining macaroni and cheese from the night before! There won’t be anyone in the house that will turn their nose up to this when they sit down to eat at the dinning room table. It’s extremely simple and takes just 30 minutes from start to finish!

I dropped one pound of ground beef into a sauté pan over medium high heat, using no  oil except the grease thats going to come out of the beef as we cook it! Once the beef started it’s cooking process, and became brown.. I added one glove of minced garlic, and two mini bell peppers. If you don’t like the orange or yellow bell peppers, you can for sure use red or green. You know what I always say.. it’s all about preference!

After adding the garlic and peppers once the meat has browned, I let everything cook for another five minutes to let the flavors come together, and the peppers to get caramelized.

For the barbecue part, I added a half cup ketchup, and two tablespoons of yellow mustard, along with two big squeezes of honey, and four dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Any time I cook a dish using meat I always always add in Worcestershire sauce… I don’t know.. they say everyone has their own flavor profile in the kitchen, and that tends to be mine!

• Keep in mind.. we just want some sweetness added along with a touch of barbecue flavor considering it’s going to be mixed with the mac and cheese. We don’t want to make the meat as saucy as classic summer bbq would be because we want to still be able to taste that cheesy delectable goodness coming from our leftovers.

For some color, freshness, and a different kind of texture, pile in two handfuls of baby spinach leaves.

Once the spinach gets a chance to wilt down, spoon in that macaroni and cheese, along with a pad of butter and a splash of milk. It will make the whole thing come together.. becoming rich and deliciously creamy!

If comfort food had it’s king this would be it. It is so glorious looking! Who could want anything more? You have all your food groups piled into one, and this is the best meal to curl up with on the couch, next to a glass of wine after a long day at the office.

If you are dinning at the table with this dish; no need to dirty any fancy bowls.. just grab a hot plate, and serve it up family style! A simple salad, and buttered artisan bread is all you need to finish off this luxurious left over creation!!

I pray that all of you are taking the time to prepare good, hearty meals during this quarantine that we are under going right now. You will feel absolutely fulfilled if you recreate this one pan wonder! Also, this gives all you Diamonds the creative outlook on any of your other leftovers that you might not love to eat just straight out of it’s cold container. Take this time to get experimental, and not let any food go to waste!

It is one week until my favorite holiday of life.. Easter Sunday, and with unfortunate circumstances of not being able to see people whom you don’t live with,  I’m going to try to make this week as light hearted, and loving as I can with my upcoming posts! Take care until I arrive next time. XOXO