Mexican Macaroni

Training: Body Pump

What do you do when you have a craving for something spicy and a bag of macaroni in the pantry?

Why you make Mexican Macaroni – that’s what!

The idea for this dish kinda  grew when I opened the pantry. I was initially looking for some tomato flavours and spice, but somehow ended up with a whole heap of other ingredients!

Simmered with a bag of spinach until thick and the chilli had developed in intensity.

Meanwhile, this GF macaroni was cooked.

Combined with the mince mixture, and spooned into my baking dish.

Topped with…

Corn chips!

And a sprinkle of grated cheese!

Baked for 30 minutes until the cheese had melted.

  

Served in a generous pile.

I really enjoyed this simple dish. It was kinda like macaroni cheese + nachos combined.

  

And we both went back for a big bowl of seconds so it must have been ok ;)

Mexican Macaroni (GF) – serves 4

This tasty dish combines two family favourites  – macaroni cheese and nachos – into one easy mid-week meal. While my version contains ground beef, you could easily adapt it to be vegetarian by using kidney beans, or to be vegan by using vegan cheese.

• 200g ground beef
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 tbs cayenne pepper
• 1 cup tomato salsa or tinned tomatoes
• 1 cup corn
• 1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• Jalapenos to taste
• 1 bag baby spinach
• 1 bag GF macaroni, cooked according to packet directions, drained
• For topping: 1/2 cup corn chips, crushed and 1/2 cup grated cheese

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Heat a little olive oil in a frypan over a medium heat. Add beef and onions, and cook until browned.
3. Add cayenne pepper, stirring well. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Add remaining sauce ingredients, stir to combine, then simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Remove sauce from heat, and pour over the cooked pasta.
6. Spoon into a baking dish. Top with corn chips and grated cheese.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

What about you? Do you cook to a plan or just pull together ingredients at random?

Happy Baking :)