Chili Cheese Macaroni Casserole
This chili cheese macaroni casserole is the ultimate comfort food - made with fresh ground beef, black beans, green chilies, seasoning and an incredibly generous amount of CHEESE for that ultra creamy, cheesy goodness.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 415kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni cooked al dente
- 1 pound ground beef 85/15
- 1 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 4 ounce can green chilies
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces Velveeta cubed
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook the pasta according to the instruction on the package (2 minutes less to ensure al dente), drain and pour into a 9 x 13" baking dish.
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain; set aside.
- While the beef is cooking, combine the Velveeta and milk in a saucepan and heat over medium low heat until a sauce forms. You can also heat the Velveeta and milk in the microwave, cooking in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until a sauce forms.
- Heat the skillet over medium heat and add the onions and garlic; cook until soft and starting to caramelize.
- Add the black beans, green chilies and seasonings. Cook for 1 minute then add the tomato sauce and ground beef and mix together.
- Add the Velveeta sauce to the skillet and mix well.
- Pour mixture over the pasta in the baking dish. Cover with grated cheddar cheese and bake until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve with sliced green onions and sour cream.
Notes
- Cook the pasta al dente to ensure it doesn't become too mushy when baking in the oven.
- Be sure to drain the excess fat from the beef, otherwise your casserole will be very greasy.
- Stir the cheese sauce regularly while making it to prevent burning or scalding of the milk.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cups | Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 962mg | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 805IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 329mg | Iron: 2.8mg