To find the total number of cups in the recipe, we'll sum the individual cup measurements provided for each ingredient:
- Instant mashed potatoes: 5 cups
- Cooked seasoned ground beef: 1 lb (cooked ground beef is typically equal to about 2 cups, but this can vary slightly)
- Shredded mild cheddar cheese: 1.5 cups
- Seasoning: 1/3 cup
- Water: 6 cups
- Whole milk: 2.5 cups
- Grated parmesan and romano cheese: 1/3 cup
- Flour: 1/3 cup
Now, let's convert the "1 lb of cooked seasoned ground beef" to cups for a clearer total:
1 lb of cooked ground beef ≈ 2 cups
Now we can list out everything in cups:
- Instant mashed potatoes: 5 cups
- Cooked seasoned ground beef: 2 cups
- Shredded mild cheddar cheese: 1.5 cups
- Seasoning: 1/3 cup
- Water: 6 cups
- Whole milk: 2.5 cups
- Grated parmesan and romano cheese: 1/3 cup
- Flour: 1/3 cup
Converting all fractions to a common denominator (in this case, 3) for the total:
1/3 cup = 1 cup/3 2.5 cups = 7.5 cups/3
Now we can list them all out in terms of thirds:
- Instant mashed potatoes: 15/3 cups
- Cooked seasoned ground beef: 6/3 cups
- Shredded mild cheddar cheese: 4.5/3 cups
- Seasoning: 1/3 cup
- Water: 18/3 cups
- Whole milk: 7.5/3 cups
- Grated parmesan and romano cheese: 1/3 cup
- Flour: 1/3 cup
Now, let's sum them up: 15 + 6 + 4.5 + 1 + 18 + 7.5 + 1 + 1 = 54 total in terms of thirds.
To convert back to cups, divide by 3: 54/3 = 18 cups total.
Thus, the total number of cups in the recipe is 18 cups.