Recipe: Southwestern Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

Southwestern Skillet Mac and Cheese

Prep: 10 min.
Cook time: ~25 min.
Serves: 6

- 1 cu. elbow macaroni
- 1lb. ground skinless turkey breast
- 1/2 cu. chopped onion
- 1/2 cu. chopped green pepper
- 2 TBS chili powder (we used a heaping two because we like it spicy)
- 1 tsp ground cumin (see above comment)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can dices tomatoes with juice
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce [for those who don't make their own!]
- 1 (4.5 oz.) can chopped mild green chilis
- 1/2 cu. water
- 1 cup shredded (extra sharp) cheddar cheese (reduced fat)

1. Cook elbow mac according to box directions.

2. Spray a large, nonstick skillet with nonstick spray, set over med-high heat. Add turkey and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 8 min.

3. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 3 min.

4. Add tomatoes, sauce, chiles, and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 10 min.

5. Add the macaroni and cheese, stirring to combine.

So tasty!

I do have another one for stir-fry pork tenderloin and one for lo mein pork and peanut noodles, but it requires things like hoisin sauce. Thai curry paste, and Asian sesame oil, which we have on hand because we like to cook Asian food. If you want me to post them, please let me know. They're delicious. I put in the Southwestern Mac and Cheese because it's easy and relatively cheap to get the ingredients and so delicious!



Oh, and here are the calzones we made; I've linked the recipe for the dough and the calzone itself. I'm sure you can buy pizza dough if you don't want to make it yourself. If you do make it yourself, please note that you have to chill it overnight before using it; we found this out the hard way and had chopped all the ingredients and realized we had to wait. However, that actually worked out because then everything was all ready. It's kind of a Sunday night meal because it's a little intense to make, but it's TOTALLY worth it.

Just out of the oven!

The recipe calls for grilled vegetables, so we used our George Forman grill. I'm sure you could saute them just as easily.

Enjoy!