Tex Mex Mac And Cheese Food

SUNNY'S TEX-MEX CHILI MAC SKILLET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven or a grill to 375 degrees F.
• Add the olive oil, chili powder and cumin to a large cast-iron pan over medium heat. Toast and stir until the spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the beef, salt and a few grinds of black pepper and cook, breaking the beef into bits while browning, until fully cooked, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the marinara sauce and stir to coat. Add the pasta straight from the bag and stir.
• Level the contents of the pan and top with the cheese, then arrange the jalapeno slices around the pan on top. Bake or grill with the lid closed until the cheese melts and is golden on the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Top with the Greek yogurt and scallions. Serve warm.

FIESTA MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the macaroni in the boiling water until just undercooked. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red onion and corn and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onion turns golden brown and the corn begins to blister, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the green chiles to combine. Set aside.
• To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour, whisking to combine. Let the roux cook for a minute or so, whisking constantly. Pour in the milk, whisking constantly, followed by 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook the white sauce until thick and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the half-and-half and adobo sauce. Add the processed cheese, 1 cup of the Monterey Jack and 1 cup of the pepper jack and continue to cook, stirring, until the cheese all melts. Add the cooked macaroni and stir to coat. Fold in the diced tomatoes and chiles.
• Butter a 9-by-13-inch disposable foil pan. Layer with half of the macaroni mixture, then half the corn mixture. Repeat the layers, ending with the corn mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup Monterey Jack and 1 cup pepper jack over the top. Sprinkle the crushed tortilla chips all over the cheese, then sprinkle with chili powder.
• To bake immediately, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake until bubbly and hot, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle over the chopped cilantro and serve.
• To freeze the casserole for later, let cool completely, then cover with aluminum foil, fold over the edges to seal and freeze.
• If cooking from frozen, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cook, covered, for 50 minutes, then uncover and bake until light brown and bubbly, about another 20 minutes. Sprinkle over the chopped cilantro and serve.

TEX-MEX BEEFY MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Prepare Dinner as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain; return meat to skillet. Add salsa and corn; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
• Add prepared Dinner to meat mixture; mix lightly.

MEXICAN MAC-N-CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the butter, corn, onions, red peppers, garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt to a medium saucepot set over medium-high heat. Saute until the onions are translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cumin, chile powder, cayenne pepper and flour and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, to make a roux, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the cold milk in a steady stream, stirring vigorously until the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until starting to thicken, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the cheddar and Monterey Jack. Cook until the sauce is smooth and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the scallions, pepper and rigatoni and mix well to combine.
• Pour the into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle the panko evenly over the top and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. Remove to a cooling rack and let rest for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Garnish with the cotija, jalapeno and cilantro. Serve immediately.

ONE-SKILLET TEX MEX MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• To a large skillet, add the olive oil, onion, beef, and cook over medium-high heat until beef is cooked through and onion is soft and translucent, about 7 minutes; crumble beef and stir frequently to ensure even cooking.
• Add the bell pepper, corn, macaroni, water, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper, stir to combine.
• Lower heat to medium low, cover, and allow mixture to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until pasta is tender and cooked through. Stir a couple times while simmering to ensure even cooking.
• Uncover, turn off the heat, add the cheese, and stir to combine and until melted. Taste and check for seasoning balance. If necessary add more salt or seasonings (I added an additional 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of cumin).
• Evenly sprinkle the cilantro and serve immediately.

TEX-MEX SHELLS AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Brown meat in nonstick skillet; drain.
• Stir in Shells, tomatoes and water. Bring to boil; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 15 min.
• Add Cheese Sauce; stir until blended. Top with shredded cheese.

TEX-MEX MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat broiler and position the rack so that a 1 1/2 quart baking dish will be 4" from the heat source.
• Cook pasta in salted water according to pkg. directions; drain.
• In same pot, heat sauce with cumin, chili and garlic powders, and pepper over low heat.
• Stir in tomatoes and 1 cup cheese; stir until cheese has melted.
• Add drained pasta.
• Transfer to ungreased 1 1/2 quart baking or casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

TEX-MEX CHEDDAR MAC

Steps:

• Prepare Dinner as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet on medium heat. Stir in salsa; simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally.
• Add Dinner to meat mixture; mix lightly. Top with shredded cheese.

TEX-MEX BAKED MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Prepare Dinner as directed on package. Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
• Mix tomatoes and dressing; spoon over macaroni mixture. Top with shredded cheese. Mix butter and tortilla crumbs; sprinkle over cheese.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through and crumbs are golden brown.