Mexican inspired flavors
Ready for the best chili mac and cheese you have ever had? Without a doubt, this recipe is a gem. I am totally obsessed with Mexican inspired flavors. This Chili mac and cheese dish is far from traditional Mexican food. In fact, it’s not considered Mexican at all. Just Mexican inspired flavors. This dish is filling, cheesy and absolutely delicious. Even more so the second day. If you are a cheese freak like me, this is the prefect dish for you! Loaded with 32oz of ooey gooey goodness, it will satisfy all cheese lovers! In addition, I use two types of tomatoes, hunts fire roasted tomatoes and rotel tomatoes with green chilis, because I feel it adds more flavor with two different types of tomatoes. I certainly think this dish tastes better the next day, it has time to absorb all those amazing flavors into the pasta.
Tip for reheating, add about 3 tbsp of water per bowl that you reheat. Otherwise, the pasta will dry out.
Chili mac and cheese
Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Elbow macaroni
- Pasta water
- Rotel tomatoes and green chilis
- Fire roasted tomatoes
- Black beans drained and rinsed
- Onion chopped
- Corn fresh or frozen
- Tomato paste
- Better than beef bouillon paste
- Mild cheddar cheese shredded
- Chihuahua cheese shredded
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Chili powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Avocado oil
- Salt divided
- Pepper
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Sour cream
- Lime wedges
- Green onions
- Jalepeno
I use my Dutch oven for this recipe however, if you do not have a Dutch oven, you can use a large oven safe pot. I like this dish to have just a tiny kick of heat. If you want more heat, add a touch more cayenne pepper. If you prefer to have no heat, simply leave the cayenne pepper out all together.
Start cooking that chili mac!
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Boil a large pot of water and salt the water to your taste. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, the reasoning for this, is because you want that extra moisture otherwise it will be to dry. Of course, drain the rest of the pasta and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a Dutch oven or oven safe pot on med high heat. Stir in the onions with salt and stir often until onions are tender.
Next, add in beef and seasonings and stir until seasonings are mixed in well. After beef is cooked through, stir in tomatoes, corn, beans, better then bouillon paste and tomato paste until both pastes are dissolved. Pour in the pasta, pasta water and half of the cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 30 mins or until cheese is melted.
Finally, what do you top your chili mac and cheese with? Of course, these are optional toppings. Obviously, fresh jalapeno, fresh chopped green onions, fresh chopped cilantro, thinly sliced avocado, sour cream and line wedges. Finally, serve and enjoy! Want more Mexican inspired recipes? Check out my Mexican page here!
Chili mac and cheese
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 16 oz elbow macaroni
- 1 cup pasta water
- 1 can rotel tomatoes and green chilis
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup corn fresh or frozen
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp better than beef bouillon paste
- 2 cups mild cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups chihuahua cheese shredded
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 12 tsp salt divided
- 1 tsp pepper
Optional toppings
- avocado
- cilantro
- sour cream
- lime wedges
- green onions
- jalepeno
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degreese. In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Add oil to a dutch oven or a large oven safe pot over med high heat. Add in chopped onions and salt, cook until tender. Stir often. Add in ground beef and seasonings and stir well.
- Once beef is cooked through, add in tomatoes, corn, beans, better then beef boullion and tomato paste and stir until the pastes have dissolved.
- Pour in the pasta, pasta water, 1 cup of chihuahua cheese and one cup of cheddar and stir until the cheese is distributed evenly.
- Evenly layer the remaining cheese on top of the pasta mixture and cover. Bake for 30 mins or until cheese is melted. Top with fresh cilantro, sour cream, green onions, avocado, jalapenos and lime wedges. Serve and enjoy!
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