The easiest beefy macaroni & cheese ever!  Dress up this simple supper with a cheerful Temp-Tations bakeware dish–and we’re giving away the set with this dish!

What’s better to come home to than a piping-hot casserole of macaroni & cheese?

This is made even more special by adding ground beef and bacon.  It’s no wonder this is a #1 comfort food.

Make it in a jiffy

The recipe is very easy to prepare.  It takes advantage of convenience ingredients to make the prep speedy but there’s no loss of flavor.  Evaporated milk adds creaminess without a ton of fat–there’s already plenty of THAT in here–so this is not a diet dish!

Of course the canned cheese soup and evaporated milk may be substituted for your own homemade cheese sauce!  I’m kind of into quick these days so I’ll often “cheat” a bit and use a quickie convenience product.  However, I refuse to sacrifice taste for convenience and this cheese soup isn’t bad tasting at all.

Cobalt Blue Floral Lace Pie Plate

Like the dish it’s cooked in?  So do I!!!  In fact, this is one of my favorite sets of Temp-Tations bakeware.  It’s a 5-piece set which included what you see–they call it a pie plate but I often use it for casseroles.  Also included in the set are 4 mini pie plates.  You can see them in my Loaded Shepherd’s Pie post. I find the mini pie plates one of the most useful dishes I have as they are perfect for individual portions (like the shepherd’s pie.) Annnndddd…

WE ARE GIVING AWAY THIS SET!  You will have your choice of available colors in the available patterns–Floral Lace (mine is cobalt blue, shown), Old World or Polka Dot. Enter below using the Rafflecopter app!  Please make sure to read the Terms & Conditions.  Contest open to continental US residents only. And remember, even if you’ve liked my FB page and followed me before the contest, you are STILL entitled to those entry points!!

Bake Sets in 3 available patterns

Easy Beefy Bacon Mac & Cheese

• 8 oz elbow macaroni
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 6 slices crisp-cooked bacon, diced
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can (10.75 oz) cheddar cheese soup
• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk*
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Optional Add-ins:
• green chilis
• jalapeno peppers
• drained diced tomatoes
• diced bell peppers
• diced chipoltes in adobo
• peas or any green veggie
• sauteed onion or instant onion flakes

*I used the entire can of evaporated milk because I prefer this on the saucy side.  If you like it less saucy, begin by adding only 6 oz, adding only enough to make the sauce as thick as you like it.


Prepare elbow macaroni as per package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.  For instructions on cooking pasta in a rice cooker (no draining necessary), please see, “Cooking Pasta in a Rice Cooker.“


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Brown ground beef in a deep heavy skillet or saute pan. Drain excess fat.  Add bacon, salt and pepper (and any add-ins if you are using).  Stir well.


Add condensed soup to ground beef mixture.  Gradually stir in enough evaporated milk (I used entire can) until the sauce is the consistency that you desire.  Add 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheddar.


Add drained elbows and stir well to combine.


Turn into a 1.5-2-quart baking pan.  Top with remaining shredded cheddar (you can certainly use more cheese if you want!).


Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly around the sides of the pan and cheese is beginning to brown.


Serves 4-6

Perfect for a cold night!

Copyright © Judith Hannemann aka The Midnight Baker 2014. All Rights Reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without The Midnight Baker’s express consent. 

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This beefy taco casserole is made even better by making your own baked tortilla chips!

Make something Mexican was the request–and I had everything mostly on hand with this.

Beefy Taco-Mac Bake

I’ll be upfront and say I’m not a great lover of taco seasoning because of the cumin, but when I combined this with some of Goya’s Adobo seasoning, it tasted really GREAT!

I also wanted to use up an odd bit of spiral pasta I had hanging around for I can’t remember how long, plus I had some leftover sliced olives from when I did the Mexican French Bread Pizza for an olive promotion for Price Chopper Supermarkets.

Only thing I was lacking was a bag of tortilla chips–but I did have some small flour tortillas, so I made my own.  One thing I can say is I will NEVER buy tortilla chips again.  I think the homemade ones actually was the thing that made this casserole shine.

This casserole is really a combination of taco-flavored beef macaroni and nachos! A real family pleaser!

A combo of nachos and tacos combine here

Like my bakers?  They’re Temp-Tations Floral Lace and are available from Temp-Tations.  Mine are blue but they come in many nice colors. Here’s the website:
Temp-tations.com

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Beefy Taco Mac Bake

This beefy taco casserole is made even better by making your own baked tortilla chips!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Keyword: beef recipes, taco casserole, taco mac

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 651kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 8 oz rotini pasta
• 1 lb lean ground beef at least 90 percent lean
• 10.75 oz condensed tomato soup
• 15 oz canned diced tomatoes*
• 4 oz canned diced jalapenos optional
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese**
• 2 tbsp taco seasoning 1.25 oz package
• 2 tsp Adobo seasoning Goya makes this

Topping:

• 2-3 cups broken tortilla chips***
• 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese**
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives
• 3 green onions chopped

Instructions

• Cook pasta per package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray either and 11 x 7 or 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
• Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in a large heavy skillet; drain fat.
• Add the diced tomatoes, tomato soup, taco seasoning, Adobo seasoning, 1/2 cup of cheese and the pasta. Stir to combine. Place mixture in the prepared baking pan.
• Top with broken tortilla chips. Top tortilla chips with the 2 cups of cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with sliced olives and chopped green onion.
• Serves 4-6 depending on appetite.

Notes

*For added heat a can of Rotel tomatoes may be substituted.

**A combination of sharp cheddar and Monterrey jack may be substituted for the Mexican blend--1/2 cheddar, 1/2 jack. All cheddar or all jack is another alternative. Choice is yours!

***I made my own tortilla chips from 6-inch flour tortillas. Brush one side of each tortilla with olive oil. Repeat for how may chips you want to make. I used 4 tortillas. Stack tortillas oil side up and slice into eighths. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 651kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 1391mg | Potassium: 993mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1133IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 431mg | Iron: 5mg

Someone had a hearty appetite!

Ready to eat!

Copyright © Judith Hannemann aka The Midnight Baker 2014. All Rights Reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without The Midnight Baker’s express consent.

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The post Beefy Taco Mac Bake appeared first on The Midnight Baker.