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Taco Mac is Not a Taco
As my son rightly pointed out, Taco Mac is not a taco. It does, however, have taco seasoning in it and cheesy goodness. When I came up with this recipe, I was trying to have more one-dish meals. Sadly, my kids never even gave it a chance, but my husband and parents loved it. Ground meat as the base of this meal makes it go further, so when food prices are high, this is a good choice.
With this Taco Mac recipe, I combined everything we liked: macaroni, cheese, taco seasoning, beef, and Rotel.
As a child, my mom would make Hamburger Helper. It was okay, but as an adult, I wanted to make a version with real cheese. The cheeseburger macaroni was good, but I could taste the artificial cheese flavoring in it.
One thing I love about creating and tweaking recipes is that I can add the ingredients that my family loves. I want to share this recipe with you. It has been a great, quick go-to for me coming home late from work.
Taco Mac Alternative Choices
With this recipe, I have made it with ground beef, but I have also made it with ground turkey. To be healthier, I have pretty much switched to ground turkey. Both ground types of meat work exceptionally well. You could even use other ground meats.
Another substitution I have used with this recipe is Velveeta instead of the shredded fiesta cheese blend. The Velveeta makes it very creamy but also a little saltier. Notice I did not tell you to salt the noodles or the meat. Between the broth and the taco seasoning, there is plenty of salt in this meal. I made the mistake of salting my macaroni the first time I made this, which was almost inedible. I try to use either low-sodium broth or low-sodium taco seasoning. I use shredded cheese if I do not have the broth or seasoning in low sodium.
Cooking Instructions
First, brown the ground beef in the saucepan you will use for the entire meal. I love to use my Farberware copper pot. It keeps the food from sticking while you are simmering your meal. Along with the meat, add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook this thoroughly until entirely done. In a colander, drain the meat. Keep the meat out, to be added later.
Second, pour both cans of broth into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, add the two cups of elbow macaroni noodles. Let this boil until the noodles are almost done. It would be best to leave them slightly firm so that when you are simmering everything together, they will not overcook.
Third, put the ground beef back in with the almost-done noodles.
Fourth, pour in the entire contents of the Rotel. Do not drain it.
Fifth, mix in the taco seasoning. I use McCormicks Taco Seasoning. I have a big jar of it that I use frequently.
Let this simmer for about 10 minutes.
Lastly, add the shredded cheese. Once the cheese is melted, you can begin serving and enjoying it.
One-Dish Taco Mac Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef ground turkey can be substituted
- ½ onion chopped
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 4½ tbsp McCormick taco seasoning
- 2 cans beef broth
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
- 2 cups shredded fiesta cheese blend
Instructions
- In a saucepan, brown the ground meat with chopped onion and minced garlic.
- Once the meat mixture is complete, drain and set aside.
- In the same saucepan, bring to a boil the 2 cans of broth. Once it is boiling add the 2 cups of macaroni noodles. Stir so they do not stick. Boil until the noodles are al dente. (not completely done)
- Add the Rotel, taco seasoning, and ground meat. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add in the fiesta cheese blend. Bring to simmer again.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
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