Tex-Mex Macaroni

Time to change up that boring weeknight mac and cheese and make our Tex-Mex Macaroni! Full of colorful ingredients like Rotel tomatoes, black beans and corn, this is an easy and cheesy meal the whole family will enjoy. A fiesta in your skillet. With cheese. A cheese fiesta. Yeah, a macaroni and cheese fiesta. I like it.

Tex-Mex Macaroni…I’m not from Texas or Mexico but this is how I imagine their macaroni should be.

No Hamburger Helper tonight. We have turned the tables and we helped the hamburger, if you know what I mean.

Don’t let the name macaroni fool ya’. This Tex-Mex Macaroni is full of beef. Two pounds worth.

Yep, two pounds of lean ground beef. (In exchange for serving my husband pasta, I had to promise to make it beefy. So there you go. Tasty compromise.)

[clickToTweet tweet=”No Hamburger Helper tonight. We have turned the tables and we helped the hamburger, if you know what I mean.” quote=”No Hamburger Helper tonight. We have turned the tables and we helped the hamburger, if you know what I mean.” theme=”style3″]

Instead of messing up two skillets, after we browned the ground beef and onions we just pushed it to the side to make room for the cheese sauce. Scoot over, meat, time for the cheese in our Tex-Mex Macaroni.

All we did is melt butter in the pan. Then we whisked in flour and cooked until smooth and bubbly. Gradually we stirred in milk and when it reached a gravy like consistency, we stirred in some chili seasoning.

Tex-Mex Macaroni is one of those fuss-free recipes, so we used a pre-packaged chili seasoning mix to keep it easy.

Ok we covered easy. Now let’s get to the cheesy! Meet Mr. Jack and Mr. Cheddar. We used two cups in our recipe but feel free to add more to your taste. Stir it into the beef and sauce and add your cooked pasta and veggies.

We used classic black beans, sweet corn and spicy Rotel and chiles. So good!

For extra color and delicious flavor, we sprinkled our Tex-Mex Macaroni with chopped green onions.  I am a huge fan of green onions. They have a perfect mild flavor and just a little bit of crunch. Yum!

If you are a fan of skillet meals, try our Nothing Fancy Skillet. Easy and delicious, just like we like it.

Let your Tex-Mex Macaroni simmer for a few minutes. The cheese sauce will thicken and soon your easy and cheesy meal will be ready to devour.

Dig in! (My hubby added even more cheese on top of his Tex-Mex Macaroni. May I suggest you do the same?)

Love macaroni? So do we. You should try Amie Jo’s Goulash Recipe, it is so yummy and reminds me of meals I had as a kid. 

5 from 1 vote

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Tex-Mex Macaroni

The best of both worlds...cheesy macaroni with black beans and veggies for a one skillet meal with Southwestern flair.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Calories 576 kcal

Author Buy This Cook That

Buy This

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 2 cups dry macaroni pasta
• 4 cups milk
• 1 14 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 11 oz can Mexican corn blend drained
• 1 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes drained
• 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 green onions chopped
• 2 TB butter
• 2 TB flour
• 2 TB chili seasoning mix
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cook That

1. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground beef and onion with the salt and pepper. Drain excess fat if needed, but if you are using lean, this is not necessary.
3. Move the beef and onions to the side of the skillet. Reduce heat to medium low and melt the butter in the empty side of the skillet. Whisk in the flour and cook and stir until smooth and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
4. Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring constantly. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens. Stir in the chili seasoning.
5. Add the cooked pasta, cheese, black beans, corn, and Rotel. Stir to combine well.
6. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until sauce has thickened to desired consistency. Sprinkle with chopped green onions. Serve with additional cheese if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Tex-Mex Macaroni

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 576 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 12g75%

Cholesterol 117mg39%

Sodium 725mg32%

Potassium 1034mg30%

Carbohydrates 48g16%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 44g88%

Vitamin A 1560IU31%

Vitamin C 9mg11%

Calcium 402mg40%

Iron 5.4mg30%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.