08 Nov Recipe: Baked Spicy Mac and Cheese with Ground Beef
While I’ve been working on the last bit of busy book stuff, I’ve been slipping in time, here and there, to recipe develop. The following recipe takes too many spoons to add to Disabled Kitchen and Garden so I thought I’d throw it up here. Enjoy this recipe for Baked Spicy Macaroni and Cheese with Tomato and Ground Beef. On the heat scale, I’d say it is a mild-medium.
Baked Spicy Macaroni and Cheese with Tomato and Ground Beef
A dressed up mac and cheese for lovers of extra cheesy macacroni who aren't afraid of some heat.
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Large pot
- Wooden spoon
- Colander
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- 1 Large non-stick skillet
- Spatula
- Can opener
- 1 Food processor or cheese grator
- 1 Medium Tall Sauce Pot
- 9x13 glass baking dish
- Aluminium foil
Ingredients
Pasta
- 2 L water
- 2 cups dry macaroni
Ground Beef
- 454 grams lean ground beef
- ¼ cup fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon ground bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 398 mL can crushed heirloom tomatoes
- 156 mL can tomato paste
Cheese Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 large jalapeno peppers minced [or 2 small jalapeno peppers minced]
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 3 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese I like to use a white cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F
- Prepare and mise en place your ingredients.
Pasta
- In a large pot, bring two litres of water to a rolling boil.
- Once boiling, add the macaroni and stir.
- Let it boil for 8 minutes.
- When it is time, put the colander in the sink and pour the contents of the pot into the colander. Rince the pasta with cold water and set aside.
Ground Beef
- While the macaroni is cooking, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add the ground beef. Saute the ground beef to break it up.
- Once the ground beef is close to medium-rare, add the basil, oregano, bay leaf, smoked paprika and black pepper. Continue to saute until the ground beef is well-done.
- Dump the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste into the skillet. Allow it to simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens, stirring occastionally so that it doesn't burn.
- Once the sauce is thick, turn off the heat. Stir in the cooked macaroni and set aside.
Cheese Sauce
- In a medium tall sauce pot on medium heat, melt the butter.
- Once melted, add the onion, peppers and garlic. Saute until the onions are translucent and just begin to caramalize, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the flour to form a roux.
- Slowly add the milk, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens after each addition. It is important to keep the sauce in motion so that the milk doesn't curdle.
- Slowly add the cheese, about 1/2 cup at time, and stir until all the cheese has melted as is well-combined.
Put It All Together and Bake
- Once done, fold the cheese sauce into the contents of the skillet.
- Dump the contents of the skillet into a 9-inch X 13-inch glass baking dish and cover with aluminium foil.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.
- Once done, remove from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
You may cook the macaroni in an Instant Pot at High Pressure for 4 minutes, natural pressure for 5 minutes before quick releasing any remaining pressure.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Baked Spicy Macaroni and Cheese with Tomato and Ground Beef
Serving Size
1 cup
Amount per Serving
Calories
410
% Daily Value*
Fat
21
g
32
%
Saturated Fat
11
g
69
%
Trans Fat
0.5
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Cholesterol
75
mg
25
%
Sodium
447
mg
19
%
Potassium
583
mg
17
%
Carbohydrates
33
g
11
%
Fiber
3
g
13
%
Sugar
7
g
8
%
Protein
23
g
46
%
Vitamin A
922
IU
18
%
Vitamin C
10
mg
12
%
Calcium
330
mg
33
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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