Mexican Macaroni

First off, I just want to say a big "thank you" to my friend Heather, who gave me the basis for this recipe. =) It was so delicious! This recipe combines two of my favorite dishes to make at home: tacos and macaroni and cheese. It's kind of like Hamburger Helper®, except BETTER.

Here's what you'll need:

2 boxes Kraft® Velveeta® Shells and Cheese
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning (I used McCormick® Cheesy Taco, which requires 3/4 cup milk)
1 tablespoon (more or less to taste) mild taco sauce

As for optional toppings, I used these:

Shredded Mexican or taco-style cheese
Sour cream
Your favorite salsa

Let's get started! First off get a large pot of water boiling and add the pasta from both boxes of Velveeta® Shells and Cheese. Set aside the packets of cheese sauce for later.

While the pasta cooks, start browning the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Just don't forget to stir the pasta every now and then and keep an eye on it for doneness; it should take about 10 minutes. Once the ground beef is fully cooked, drain the fat and return the meat to the skillet. Add the taco seasoning as directed on the packet and stir it in well. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water and return the shells back to the pot. Now it's time to add the two packets of cheese sauce and the taco sauce to the pasta.

And stir it up! Make sure all the noodles get a nice coating.

When the beef has finished simmering with the taco seasoning, it'll look like this.

Now simply add the finished taco meat to the finished shells and cheese mixture

And mix it up!

You could serve the Mexican Macaroni as is, but I think that a few appropriate toppings really make it pop! I added a small mound of fiesta-blend shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and some restaurant-style mild salsa. Tah-dah!

This recipe can easily feed 4-6 people. You can also serve it with a side of nachos and salsa. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! It was difficult to stop eating, but so filling.

Your Cupcake,

~Jesia <3