Recipe dupe for Hale and Hearty Soups Macaroni and Cheese with Beef

November 17, 2012 11:13 AM

I am suddenly obsessed with the Macaroni and Cheese with Beef soup from Hale and Hearty. I may have had it twice before but all of a sudden I'm thinking about it every day and of course it isn't on the menu. I've googled some recipes but figured I'd toss it out to you guys in case someone has already tried to recreate it. Maybe trying to make it at home will help me get over it.

I'm really surprised that I like this soup to begin with. The noodles are a little too soft but it doesn't bother me. I really like the texture and the fact that I am not overwhelmed with too much of any one flavor. It isn't especially soupy but it doesn't feel like I'm missing any broth. It isn't too beefy. I like the color of the soup as well.

Any ideas, tips, recipes so that I can recreate this at home? I will also be open to suggestions on how to overcome this kind of random obsession. Usually I would just go overboard with whatever I am obsessing about until I'm sick of it. This one is sticking around because I haven't been able to get the damn soup and nothing attainable has taken its place.

posted by mokeydraws to Food & Drink (3 answers total)

I have anxiously been awaiting an answer because you made this soup sound sooooo goooooood, but since there have been none maybe you could write to Bon Appetit (or somewhere) and ask them for the recipe? They have a column every month where they get restaurant recipes for people, and maybe Hale and Hearty would share?
posted by masquesoporfavor at 1:06 PM on November 17, 2012

I think I know exactly the soup you mean. I've tried to duplicate it by making this Sloppy Joe recipe with the following additions:

1. Exactly as given
2. Do not drain the fat.
2a. In a separate pan, heat a cup of milk and stir in 6 oz each of finely grated Parmesan and American until it melts and mixes.
3. Omit ketchup and barbeque sauce, but add the cheese sauce and as much dry macaroni as you like.
4. Stir frequently to keep it from sticking, and cover when not stirring to keep the moisture in.

Note that I have no sense of smell, so if Hale and Hearty is doing anything subtle with spices and herbs, I'll be totally oblivious to the difference.

Also note that this won't taste really close until you add several teaspoons of table salt into each bowl.
posted by d. z. wang at 1:52 PM on November 17, 2012

Don't know if anyone is still paying attention to this thread but the soup is finally on the menu today (Midtown, NYC)! I did but a box of hamburger helper that looks similar. Also a similar box of Velveeta brand hamburger helper. Never ate something like that and it made a weird sound as I was cooking it. Wasn't exactly what I was looking for.
posted by mokeydraws at 7:54 AM on November 26, 2012