Southwest Mac N Cheese Food

SOUTHWESTERN MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cook macaroni as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, brown meat with bell peppers in large skillet; drain.
• Heat dressing in large saucepan. Add flour; cook and stir 1 min. or until bubbly. Gradually whisk in milk; cook and stir 6 to 8 min. or until thickened. Add cheese, mustard and black pepper; cook and stir 2 min. or until cheese is melted and mixture is well blended.
• Drain macaroni. Add to cheese sauce; mix well. Stir in meat mixture and tomatoes and green chilies. Spoon into casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 25 to 35 min. or until golden brown and sauce is bubbly. Let stand 2 min. before serving.

SOUTHWEST TUNA MACARONI AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions to "al dente", then drain and rinse with cool water, and let drain again.
• Meanwhile, combine soup, mayonnaise and milk, and stir until smooth.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and slightly grease a 2 quart glass baking dish.
• Mix macaroni, soup mixture, cheddar cheese, salt & pepper, and flaked tuna thoroughly in a large bowl.
• Pour mixture into baking dish, sprinkle bread crumbs evenly on top, and then dot with margarine on top.
• Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

CREAMY SOUTHWEST MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add onions, poblano chiles, jalapeño peppers and chili powder; mix well. Cook 6 min. or until onions are crisp-tender, stirring frequently.
• Add milk and 2/3 of the VELVEETA; cook 3 to 5 min. or until VELVEETA is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Stir in macaroni and remaining VELVEETA.
• Spoon into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray. Toss shredded cheese with crushed chips; sprinkle over macaroni mixture.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

SOUTHWEST MAC & CHEESE WITH OPTIONAL CHICKEN

Steps:

• Boil the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking, and return to the pan you boiled it in. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Set out six individual, oven-safe ramekins or gratin dishes for individual servings, two 5"x8" baking dishes if you're cooking up one dish with meat and one without, or an 8"x8"/two-quart baking dish if cooking it all in one big batch.
• In a medium bowl, toss together the cheddar, monterey jack, and Parmesan cheeses. Set aside.
• Over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour, salt, dry mustard, chili powder, pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika. Stir constantly over medium heat for about three minutes.
• Slowly whisk in the milk. Continuing over medium heat, whisk frequently for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens (as the sauce gets thicker, I recommend going from frequent stirs to constant stirs to help avoid burning).
• Remove from heat, and stir in 2 cups of the cheese. Continue stirring until cheese is melted, then add the green chilies and corn. Stir until combined. Select your version from the options below to continue.

SOUTHWEST MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients except cheese in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer 10 to 14 minutes, stirring frequently, until macaroni is tender. Stir in cheese until melted.

VELVEETA SOUTHWEST MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• Brown meat in large skillet; drain.
• Stir in tomatoes and water. Bring to boil. Stir in macaroni. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 8 to 10 min. or until macaroni is tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add VELVEETA; cook until completely melted, stirring frequently.

SOUTHERN-STYLE MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small bite-sized chunks. Toss in a 20cm gratin dish with the olive oil, cayenne and some seasoning. Roast for 25-30 mins, or until golden and soft, tossing occasionally.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Stir together to make a roux, and cook for a couple of mins. Remove from the heat, then slowly pour in the milk a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Put the pan back on the heat and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Turn the heat down, add the mustard and nutmeg, and season well. Add in most of the cheese (keep some for the top) and continue to stir. Taste for seasoning. Keep on a low heat so it stays warm until the macaroni is ready.
• Cook the macaroni in boiling, lightly salted water for a couple of minutes less than it says on the packet. Drain (reserve some of the pasta cooking water), then stir the pasta and cooked sweet potato into the cheese sauce. The mixture should be quite thick, but add a little of the pasta cooking water to loosen if necessary. Taste for seasoning.
• Tip the mixture into the gratin dish, then scatter over the rest of the cheese and return to the oven. Bake for about 20-30 mins, or until the top is golden brown and bubbling.

SOUTHWEST MACARONI AND JACK CHEESE BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
• Add milk and cream cheese to a large sauce pan, heat over medium high heat and stir until cheese melts.
• Add chili peppers, salt and cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
• Spoon half the macaroni into the baking dish and top with half the cheese.
• Add the remaining macaroni, cheese and top with the nacho chips.
• Bake 30-35 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly and lightly browned.

MACARONI & CHEESE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• liberally butter a 2 quart casserole dish.
• Alternate layering macaroni and cheese slices in the buttered casserole.
• Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
• Pour mixture over macaroni and cheese.
• Mix cracker crumbs with melted butter.
• Add to top of casserole.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted.

SOUTHWEST MAC-N-CHEESE

Steps:

• boil pasta shells according to package directions.
• brown ground beef in large saucepan or skillet with minced garlic and cumin.
• Drain fat.
• mix taco seasoning and water and pour over meat, stir well over medium/low.
• add rotel, beans, corn and Tabasco to pan and continue to cook over medium until all ingredients heated through.
• add pasta shells to pan and stir.
• pour cheese sauce from package over all and stir over medium until heated through.
• Serve with additional Tabasco to taste.

SOUTHWESTERN MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package for al dente pasta. Rinse under cold water; drain well
• Melt butter in same saucepan on medium heat. Sprinkle with flour and spices. Cook and stir 2 minute or until well blended. Gradually stir in milk until smooth. Stirring constantly, cook 3 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken. Stir in cheeses until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Add pasta, tomatoes and chiles; toss gently to coat. Pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle panko evenly over top
• Bake 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top. Let stand 5 minutes before serving

CREAMY SOUTHWEST MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add onions, poblano chiles, jalapeño peppers and chili powder; mix well. Cook 6 min. or until onions are crisp-tender, stirring frequently.
• Add milk and 2/3 of the VELVEETA; cook 3 to 5 min. or until VELVEETA is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Stir in macaroni and remaining VELVEETA.
• Spoon into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray. Toss shredded cheese with crushed chips; sprinkle over macaroni mixture.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.