Salsa-Licious Mac & Cheese

So easy and so tasty.  A different mac & cheese.  Can be made totally meatless and a giveaway too!

I have been thinking about doing something like this literally for years.

My friend Kevin said his mom *always* added a bit of salsa to her mac & cheese and I thought heck, that’s a great idea because the tomato/peppers combo would really kick this up.

I thought I’d dust off this idea when Revol contacted me to do something for one of their “postcards,” which are recipe cards that are displayed with the product in stores.

As Revol is international, I tweaked Kevin’s mom’s idea a bit to use ingredients that would be available world-wide and/or give a viable substitution for ones not available globally (i.e. Velveeta).

And if you’re wondering why something with ground beef is the “Meatless Monday” post–the meat can be easily eliminated here with absolutely no loss of great flavor!

I did this in my 1.8 qt Belle Cuisine, which is my most-used Revol baker.  However, this recipe can be doubled or tripled and made in a larger pan.  If you want to make this in a larger 13 x 9 pan, double the ingredients.

So here’s the giveaway part–for Easy Greasy.  This little kitchen item is designed to drain grease from whatever you cook.  There’s also a handy cover for the grease collector so you can store it and empty it when full.

I found it did the job well.  Basically its a colander/can re-design that all fits together nicely.  Made totally in the USA and designed by and marketed by an every-day Mom!

What I didn’t care for was that even when it was washed, it still smelled like the beef fat I drained.  I’m a TERRIBLE anti-grease-a-holic and I have a keen and some say, OVER KEEN sense of smell.  That bothered me. A pet peeve.  It may not bother others at all.

Here it is in action:

EasyGreasy

Print Recipe Add to Recipe Box Go to Collections

Salsa-Licious Mac and Cheese:

Luscious, creamy mac and cheese kicked up with ground beef and salsa!

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: beef

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: ground beef recipe, mac and beef, mac and cheese

Servings: 3 -4

Calories: 612kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 cup green bell pepper diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes with juice OR 3 fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 8 oz lean ground beef optional for meatless
• 2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup Velveeta cubed
• 1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• sliced green onions for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Brown ground beef, onion and pepper together in a large saute pan or deep skillet.
• Add the tomatoes and Velveeta. Cook over low heat until cheese is melted.
• Stir in cooked elbows.
• Transfer to a 11 x 7 - inch baking dish. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
• Garnish with green onion if desired.
• Serves 2-3
• NOTE: If you cannot get Velveeta (outside US/Canada) then substitute 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar)

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 2001mg | Potassium: 877mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1297IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 701mg | Iron: 4mg

Salsa-Licious Mac & Cheese

Salsa-Licious Mac & Cheese

Salsa-Licious Mac & Cheese

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Salsa-Licious Mac & Cheese: Meatless Mondays appeared first on The Midnight Baker.