When Mr. Spouse & I were first married, I couldn’t cook to save my life. I mean, even toast seemed to be a challenge for me. I eventually learned what a stove could do and I made an INSANE amount of Hamburger Helper for our nightly dinners...yes, we dined on it almost nightly. I gag just typing those words. To this day, it’s hard for me to eat any kind of pasta with hamburger meat in it. However, I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked too good not to try. It looked like a far cry from the beef stroganof that gives me nightmares to this day. If Hamburger Helper would’ve tasted like this, I don’t think I ever would’ve stopped eating it!!!
SOUTHWESTERN CHILI CON QUESO PASTA BAKE
via Living Light
1 lb. penne pasta
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey {or ground beef}
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. ground coriander
2 tbsp. chili powder
Coarse ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped {I used about 5-6! I LOVE garlic.}
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
1 can {14 oz.} fire roasted diced tomatoes
As you can see, I opted for the turkey instead of the hamburger meat :) In all honesty, I really prefer ground turkey instead of ground beef!!!
Cook pasta according to package directions. While that’s cooking, chop your onions and jalapeno. If you’re allergic to raw jalapenos like I am, have Mr. Spouse do the chopping instead. Cook the turkey until it starts to brown and then toss in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook for another 5-7 minutes. Drain & return to skillet. The recipe called for 3 cloves of garlic, but I’m obsessed with the flavor and I used about 5-6. Just doing my part to keep the vampires away ;)
Toss in the cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Mix well and remove from heat. Make sure the meat is evenly coated with spices! Set aside.
In a medium/large saucepan, melt the butter and then add the flour. Mix until it looks like a flour-y little paste.
Then whisk in the milk until it starts to bubble. Add in the cheese & cilantro. The original recipe called for parsley also, but the market was out of it so I didn’t bother. Once the cheese is melted, toss in the diced tomatoes and mix until combined. You’ll have a lovely little queso sauce waiting for you and you’ll smile at the pan of cheese sauce staring back at you.
Now take the turkey & all of it’s spices and add it to the drained pasta.
Pour the queso sauce on top of that and stir until combined. Now serve yourself a generous helping and prepare for your taste buds to cheer.
So.stinkin’.good. To my surprise, it wasn’t spicy at all. I was expecting it to pack a little heat from the jalapeno & chili powder, but it didn’t. My 3-year-old devoured an entire plate and went back for more! He’s got a pretty sensitive palate when it comes to anything that has a little kick to it, but he didn’t say a thing about this dish.
See…totally 3-year-old approved. And let’s be real. How can you argue with cuteness…and a crazy, ridiculous silly face?!?!
I polished off my pasta with some shaved parmesan and all was right in the world of carbs. My parents ended up stopping by the night I whipped this up and they both loved it, too. As far as my dad is concerned, that says A LOT!!!! He has a very opinionated taste palate. When he served himself a second helping, I knew it had to be good! HA!!
This is definitely NO Hamburger Helper. A far cry from it, for sure!!
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