As I have mentioned before on this blog I am a huge fan of mexican food.  So whenever I come across a recipe that has a mexican flair to it the recipe immediately goes on my meal list.  Mexican restaurants and few and far between here in Vancouver so I try and slip it in a good mexican recipe as often as possible.

The recipe that I was working from had a good base but I felt there was a few things I could do to make it even just a little bit more to my tastes.  Since I made chicken dishes almost every night I thought I would go ahead and put ground beef instead.  I also had to substitute cheddar for the queso fresco in the sauce and added some taco seasoning to give it that mexican taste.

Mac and cheese is not the same if it doesn’t have a crunchy topping so I sprinkled panko on the top before popping it in the oven.  When it was ready to serve I put a healthy dash of tabasco to give it the kick it was missing and some slices of avocado.

The end result of this dish was lacking in one major area, the lack of sauce after baking.  I typically go for mac and cheese because of the creamy sauce so I was disappointed that it wasn’t creamier.  That is such a quick and easy fix that I will definitely make this dish again but with double the sauce.

This recipe will be added to my list of rotating mexican dishes since the only convenient mexican found here in Vancouver is the stuff I make at home.

Taco Macaroni and Cheese

1 medium onion

1 green pepper

1 fresno pepper

1 pound ground beef

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter*

2 tablespoons flour*

1 cup milk*

1 tablespoon taco seasoning*

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese*

8 ounces macaroni pasta

1 avocado for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare pasta according to packaging.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and add peppers and onions.  Once they begin to soften add ground beef and cook until brown.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper and taco seasoning to create a paste.  Whisk in milk and continue to whisk until sauce begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Mix the meat, noodles and sauce together in the dish and sprinkle with cheese and panko and place in the oven to bake until cheese melts.  Garnish with avocado and a dash of tabasco.

* Double these ingredients for a creamier dish