Chef notes
I love this meal because it's easy, tasty and ready in 30 minutes or less. It's a delicious mashup of creamy mac and cheese, spicy tacos and meaty hamburgers. Plus, you can make this recipe with ingredients you more than likely already have in your fridge and pantry.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 3 ounces tomato paste (2 tablespoons)
- 1 packet taco seasoning, preferably reduced sodium
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup leftover baked and mac and cheese (recipe linked above)
- 1 cup cooked elbow pasta
- 2 cups grated taco cheese blend
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- sour cream and chopped green onions, for serving (optional)
Preparation
1.Add the oil to a large frying pan over medium heat. Sauté onions, peppers and ground beef. Cook until veggies begin to soften and beef is no longer pink and slightly browned. Add tomato paste, taco seasoning and beef broth, and stir.
2.Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a rolling boil. Add leftover mac and cheese and elbow macaroni, stir and reduce heat. Keep stirring until liquid starts to slightly absorb. Add cheese and turn off heat. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
3.Serve in a large bowl topped with sour cream and green onions.
