Thanks for joining Sarah and me for Meatless Monday today. Mac n’ Cheese is one of my all time cold weather comfort foods. I mean, who doesn’t love a little pasta all smothered with a cheesy goodness? I took my classic Mac n’ Cheese and gave it a little Tex Mex upgrade and oh my yum. This Tex Mex Mac N’ Cheese is like Meatless Monday and Taco Tuesday melted together into one delicious bite.
Tex Mex Mac N’ Cheese
This Tex Mex Mac N’ Cheese may look complicated but it’s actually quite simple to make for a weeknight meal. The key to the perfect cheese sauce is to first make a roux with a little flour and butter. Then, slowly whisk in milk of your choice and let it thicken up. (This is easily done while your noodles cook.) I next add in 2 cups of shredded cheddar, a dash of nutmeg, a splash of hot sauce and few teaspoons of taco seasoning. It is Tex Mex after all.
Your cooked noodles are mixed into the cheese sauce. Next, gently fold in your black and pinto beans for a little fiber and plant based protein. I then, added canned corn and fresh red or green bell peppers for some crunch. I enjoy having different textures and crunch. You almost done. Top that off with a little more cheese and pop it under the broiler for a minute.
Everything tastes better with cheese! This pan of cheesy goodness is sure to become a crowd favorite at your house too. It’s easy to customize to your family’s taste preference. While I’ve kept my version vegetarian, you could certainly add some meat or chicken to yours.
Tell me what goes in your favorite Mac N’ Cheese? Do you think everything is better with cheese? What are you craving this fall?
Tex Mex Mac n' Cheese Meatless Monday
A fun and tasty Tex Mex Twist on mac n cheese
Ingredients
- 1 package of elbow macaroni- prepared according to package
- for the roux:
- 3 Tbl flour
- 2 Tbl butter
- 2 Cups of milk of choice
- dash of nutmeg
- dash of siracha
- 3 tbl taco seasoning
- 2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 C black beans
- 1 C Pinto beans
- 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 C canned corn
- 1 red or green bell pepper diced
Instructions
- In a large skillet make the roux:
- melt butter on med high
- whisk in flour
- slowly add in milk while whisking
- turn down to low and continue to whisk until thickens
- about 5 min
- add nutmeg, Siracha, taco seasoning
- Add cheese and whisk until melted
- Add in elbow macaroni and tomatoes
- Gently mix in beans, corn, peppers
- sprinkle cheese on top broil to melt
Hell yes!!!! Everything is so much better with cheese (lacto free cheese but still, cant get enough cheese). x
I know it’s so delicious!
What a fun twist on Mac and Cheese! I make a homemade 4 cheese version that my family loves. I found it in Cooking Light years ago and believe it or not, the cheese sauce is made without butter. The milk and flour starter requires constant diligence/stirring to keep it from getting lumpy. The result is a-maz-ing! I may have to try yours, tho. I’ll see if the fam will let me…
Yes the roux does take some attention but it’s worth it for a yummy cheese goodness.
This sounds great. I’m sure vegan cheese would work perfectly! Thanks for the linkup!
I was wondering if that would work! Let me know how it goes
Holy YUM!!!! This is dinner tonight 😉 I love black beans and tomatoes, but never would have thought to add them to Mac-n-Cheese! And, of course, cheddar is the best!
Everything is better with lots of cheese right? Hope you enjoy
It is no secret I love Mexican and this sounds amazing! I’m just sad I don’t have all the ingredients on hand to make it this week
I am trying to post easier recipes w fewer ingredients! Hope you try it out soon
I am a purist when it comes to mac and cheese. I want mac. I want cheese. I want buttered crumbs. Sometimes, I like it with broccoli, but it’s just delicious without. The boys are huge fans of buffalo chicken mac and cheese. Little man made us a beer mac and cheese last night, which was surprisingly phenomenal (the beer cooked out, obviously, but yum!).
Beer mac n cheese sounds like an interesting twist to try!
YUM!!!
I was just thinking about all the foods I grew up with and there were so many pasta dishes and bakes like this, only they didn’t look THIS GOOD!
Mac n cheese is always a crowd pleaser isn’t it?!
What a great twist on traditional mac n cheese!
Thanks all about the cheesy goodness!
I love this! I’d have to omit the corn and peppers for my husband but I think it would still be a nice variation. He does love Mac & Cheese!
Mac n cheese is the best
The roux is a great idea. While my kids won’t enjoy the tex-mex seasoning I can use the cooking technique with cheese only and have home-made mac n cheese. Thanks!
Yes it’s very easy to make your own mac n cheese
I love the Tex-Mex twist on this dish! Sounds delish!
Thanks hard to beat mac n cheese
Oh my gosh! What a great vegetarian meal! Totally going to try this for the fam!
Fantastic hope they enjoy
Love Tex-Mex, and love mac and cheese, so can’t think of anything better! Can’t wait to try it for dinner!
Thanks hope you enjoy it!
Of course everything is better with cheese, although I do have to be careful about how much cheese I eat. This sounds delish!
Cheese is my weakness it’s so good 🙂
This looks so yum…and totally not fair…I’m drooling over it…and this is just the start of my day…
OH good that was the idea for sure 🙂
This looks so good! My entire family is going to love this dish, can’t wait to make it!!
Thanks hope you all enjoy
Oh, you pretty much had me at tex mex. Although not a mac and cheese fan, I think this combo is so clever.
Hope your week is going well!
Thanks so much I am a big Tex Mex person as well. Thanks for stopping in!
Oh wow, that looks and sounds amazing and I pinned it for future reference (I even printed out a copy, too). I think it would be great to make next time the kids are all here, especially since one of them is vegetarian.
Oh great thanks hope you all enjoy it