A box of mac and cheese with browned hamburger and onion folded in for a quick weeknight dinner. The cheese pulls everything together with its salt and fat, making this a complete meal in one pan.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 20 at the stove.

About 330 calories a serving, 22 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 25 g fat. From USDA figures for 75% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Dice half a medium onion. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the hamburger and onion. Break the meat into small pieces with a spoon as it browns, about 8 minutes, until no pink remains and the onion is soft.8 min
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the contents of one box of the double cheeseburger pasta according to the package directions, usually about 8 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining.8 min
3. Drain the pasta into the skillet with the meat and onion. Pour in the cheese packet and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, then stir over medium heat for 1 minute until the cheese coats everything. Add more pasta water if it seems dry, then season with salt and pepper.1 min

Note You can swap in ground beef for the hamburger patty if you have it. Leftovers keep in the fridge for three days and reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve with a green salad or steamed broccoli on the side.