Guinness Mac and Cheese Beef Skillet
Spring is almost here, but it’s still cold enough to warm up with a hearty bowl of Guinness mac and cheese. And who am I kidding? Whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, I’m all about this beer mac and cheese with beef recipe. It’s especially perfect for St. Patrick’s Day – with a frosty glass of Guinness of course!
Get excited.
It’s almost here, peeking over the bed sheets, stretching out those arms, and bringing a warm smile to these winter blue days. I’m talking spring folks. How do I know this? Well, um, I just found out 2.2 seconds ago that daylight savings time is this weekend! Get.out.of.town? I know!
As a food blogger, daylight savings time is practically a holiday. A time to celebrate non-rushed photography and soon-to-be opened farmers’ markets. The stress level decreases while the bounty increases.
Even though we lose an hour of sleep, I’ve made us something that will keep us distracted and full. Seeing that St.Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, we’ve got to get our Guinness fill. And I happen to think that an Irish mac and cheese recipe is the way to go.
Mr. B says in Ireland, Guinness is served more than water. Is that true? If yes, why don’t we live in Ireland?
Easy Guinness Mac and Cheese Recipe
I adore this Guinness mac n cheese recipe because duh, it has beer, cheese, and pasta. Add in beef for your protein and throw it all in a skillet, and you’ve got an easy meal your whole family will love.
To make beer mac and cheese, you’ll first boil water in a large stock pot. Add 1 ¼ cups elbow macaroni and cook according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, add olive oil, ground beef, and shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about five minutes or until the beef is no longer pink. Add the flour and stir until incorporated for about a minute.
Next, grab a Guinness and stir one cup into the beef mixture. Enjoy the last few ounces left in the bottle while you cook. (Note: the alcohol in the beer cooks off, so this meal is perfectly fine for kids!)
Bring to a simmer and keep stirring until thickened – about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in milk and cheese until incorporated and melted.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet and mix thoroughly, smoothing into an even layer. Sprinkle more shredded cheese on top and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Top with chives for garnish and green!
You’ll love this rich, delicious skillet meal. I think of it as the Leprechaun diet. Satisfying, with a little luck o’ the Irish. Now, where did I put my green beer?
Guinness Mac and Cheese Beef Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups Elbow macaroni
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 pound Lean ground beef
- 1 Large shallot, diced
- 2 Tbsp All-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup Whole milk
- 1 cup Guinness beer
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded (+more for topping)
- Chives, garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add the elbow macaroni and cook according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a large 10-inch cast iron skillet, add olive oil, ground beef, shallot, salt and pepper. Cook for about five minutes or until the beef is no longer pink.
- Add the flour and stir until incorporated, about a minute. Stir in beer and bring to a slight boil. Keep stirring until thicken about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in milk and cheese until melted and well incorporated.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet and mix into an even layer.
- Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of the Guinness mac and cheese.
- Place skillet under broiler for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove skillet from broiler and serve immediately with a big glass of Guinness.
I can totally move to Ireland and live in a houseboat on a river, drinking all the Guinness I can get my hands on! Also, green is my favourite colour, so it’s a no-brainer.
Love your m+c by the way. 🙂
Hell. Yeah.
#fistbump
Yes! I am so excited to finally get to use more daylight as I’ve been annoyed with having to use my lights a lot more lately – and disliking the results. Love that you took to celebrate with a boozy mac and cheese. Perfect way to celebrate winters end.
Right?!! Let’s celebrate and share some mac & cheese! Thanks, Erin!
Oh my god yes. I want it all.
Thanks, Carrie! I’ll save you some:)
Oh. Baby.
Thanks, Bridget!
I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby. The mac that is. But I need you in my life, too. Obviously.
LOL!! I heart you!
You make beer and pasta classy my friend. Only you 😉
MWAH! Thanks, my dear:)
I’m going to make this using half ground corned beef, half ground beef. Kids loved that combo when I made your St. Paddy’s burgers last year!
Oooooohhhhh…..good idea Kevin! And thanks for the reminder about the burger. Need to whip that bad boy up again!
BRING ME ALL THE MAC. And all the beer. And all the daylight. So so many reasons to be happy!
You got it! Miss you lady!! xoxo
YES happy dance all around for Daylight Savings Time. I’m pumped.
heck yes! miss ya, friend!
Yes!! It should be a real holiday among food bloggers! I have had it marked on my calender for months! So ready for sunshine! And I love the looks of this mac and cheese! A perfect comfort food!
GAH! Me too, Annie. Let’s celebrate with some mac and cheese!
my cast iron is about to be put to WORK!
LOL!! Thanks, Trish. You can’t go wrong with mac & cheese, especially when beer is involved!
Shut the front door. I need this entire skillet in my mouth right this minute.
My husband would absolutely die for this dish! Adding it to the menu plan for next week.
I just found out about daylight savings time too! Ridiculously excited. Also even MORE excited about this mac and cheese. Bring on the Guinness!!
I am so pumped for daylight savings time. Once you have kids you realize there’s nothing worse than falling back an hour and having kids wake at 4am. Yikes!
Just give me that skillet and a fork, and I’m pretty sure my life will be complete.
Just wanted to report that I made this for our St. Patrick’s day potluck at work and it was a huge hit. Not a single piece of macaroni left in the dish 🙂 I had to stop myself from eating it last night while it cooled! It’s so tasty! I used a white cheddar/gruyere blend cheese that worked perfectly. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hayley – Yay!!! I am so glad it was a hit!! Thank you for sharing. xoxo
Made this last night for St. Patty’s day and it was amazing!!!!!!!!!
Nicole – YAY!!!!!!! I am so glad you liked the recipe:)
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We made this recipe tonight and were really looking forward to it, but it turned out terribly, unfortunately. It was very watery and lacked any flavour. We followed the recipe exactly and did not substitute any ingredients so I’m not sure what went wrong. The only thing we did differently was add extra cheese as is our preference. Disappointing!