Well, it’s January, and we are back on the eating good kick. And easy weeknight dinners are exactly what we need with cold and dreary, busy ball practice nights and full work days. So, making many of our regular dishes in a “skinny” version is the new norm. And that’s exactly what happened with this One-Pot Skinny Cheeseburger Mac.

One-Pot Skinny Cheeseburger Macaroni is a “skinny” version of a favorite weeknight dinner that all cooks in one large skillet and can feed a family for multiple nights and its packed with extra vegetables and ground turkey. #wwrecipes #skinnydish #weeknightdinner #familymeal #onepotmeal

I started the year with a detox cabbage soup plan, and that flopped…my body is made for some protein. So, I made a pivot and stayed close to the plan. And lost 7 pounds. But with that kind of food plan, as soon as you start eating anything besides soup and vegetables, you gain some of it back.

So, we are back to the thing that works if we work it, and some new recipes are being born. So, hopefully, more of them will head your way, like this One-pot Skinny Cheeseburger Mac. And, as crazy as it sounds, we fought over the leftovers for lunch the next day.

At my house, mom and dad eat the good foods, and kids live off mac, nuggets, and a frozen pizza occasionally. (this is totally their choice) I’m over trying to argue about “green things.” People tell me they come around, so I’m trusting the people. But that means I can trick Dad into eating all kinds of extra vegetables in recipes like this one where if he doesn’t see it, he doesn’t know it’s in there!

I love a cheeseburger. Like most days of the year, I’d tell you it’s my favorite food, or at least in the top 5 meals. I discovered Easy Cheeseburger Mac when we were moving and living in an Airbnb while we searched for a new house. My dishes were minimal, and I needed things to cook one night a week and eat at least one more.

I say all that to say – this meal makes a lot, it feeds a whole family with starving teenage bellies, or it can be a cook once and eat twice weeknight dinner. I like to serve it with a mock Big Mac salad without meat or at least a Caesar kit, but it’s great on its own. The One-pot Skinny Cheeseburger Mac is 5 Weight Watcher points and is very filling.

**One more tip to sneak in extra vegetables. Each week, I add one or two regular green zucchini to my grocery order and 2 Roma tomatoes and make sure I always have matchstick carrots on hand. Whether it’s tacos, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes, or a mixed-up casserole dish like this one, those are three easy ways to get extra veggies in a meal without most people noticing they are there. They rarely change the flavor of a meal or mess with the texture!**

Print Recipe

One pot Skinny cheeseburger Mac

One-Pot Skinny Cheeseburger Macaroni is a “skinny” version of a favorite weeknight dinner that all cooks in one large skillet and can feed a family for multiple nights and its packed with extra vegetables and ground turkey.

Ingredients

1 yellow bell pepper chopped
½ red onion chopped
1 Roma tomato diced
1 medium zucchini
2 cup frozen chopped spinach optional
1 lb ground turkey
2 Tablespoons sugar-free ketchup
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
1 zucchini Shredded
¼ cup roasted red peppers optional
1 tablespoon dry ranch
4 cups beef broth
16 oz pasta – whole wheat elbow rotini or penne
1 cup fat-free cheddar cheese
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
Salt and pepper as desired

Instructions

Chop bell pepper and onion into ¼-inch pieces.
Sauté bell pepper and onion until browned and translucent in a larget skillet.
Chop tomato and roasted red peppers into ¼-inch pieces.
Add peppers, tomato and spinach to the skillet.
Stir all vegetables together until the spinach is thawed and begins to separate.
Remove vegetables to a bowl.
Brown meat in the pan, adding a little olive oil if needed.
Drain meat on a plate.
Add meat and vegetables back to the skillet.
Pour in broth to skillet over meat and veggies. Scrape up the brown bits of fth bottom of the pan while mixing everything together.
Add ketchup, Worcestershire, and dry ranch to the pan. Stir together. .
Bring up a boil.
Add pasta, stir into mixture, and reduce heat to medium.
Cook for 20 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
Pull together your salad while you wait.
Remove the skillet from the burner and add cheese and milk.
Stir together and add salt, pepper or garlic powder as desired.
Top with Greek yogurt, pickles, mustard or ketchup if you want to be extra.
Serve with hamburger bun breadsticks or toast and a salad.