a lovely living

Mexican Mac & Cheese

maccheese6

Let me apologize for my lack of recipe sharing recently. I know you’ve been on the edge of your seats waiting for that next perfect dinner idea ;) The whole Redbook ordeal was a little overwhelming last week, but I’ll get things back on track around here!

Did anyone else’s ears perk up at the sound of Mac & Cheese like mine did? I receive new recipes daily from the Mix and Match Mama and this one immediately went onto my grocery list. To be honest, it looked like the Hamburger Helper that I grew up on, but obviously it’s a bit more nutritious. I really enjoy making dinners from scratch because it’s nice to know everything that’s going into my meal. You have the option to use a packet of taco seasoning or chili powder for this recipe. I chose to use chili powder and I found by doing this that it also needed a touch of salt. That wouldn’t be necessary if using the seasoning with plenty of sodium included! Anyway, this was a hit, which was obvious when my husband went up for thirds!

maccheese

Here’s the recipe via the Mix and Match Mama:

Ingredients:

1 pound of pasta
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons chili powder (or a 1 ounce packet of taco seasoning)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 green onions, chopped
1 small (4 oz) can of chopped green chiles
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

  • Over medium-high heat, bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop pasta.  Cook until al dente (about 6 or 7 minutes).
  • Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a drizzle of EVOO in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Once beef is browned and crumbly, stir in chili powder, bell pepper, green onions and chopped green chiles.  Reduce heat to low and saute about 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.
  • In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, melt butter.  Stir in flour and stir constantly for about a minute.  Stir in milk and reduce heat to low.  Stir another minute and then stir in cheese.  Stir until the cheese has melted into your sauce.
  • Drain pasta and add it to your large skillet filled with the ground beef mixture.  Pour cheesy sauce down over everything and stir until everything is covered in sauce.
  • Ladle the pasta mixture into bowls and garnish with a few extra green onions.

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