Sorry, I did not make note of where I came across the original version of this recipe, so, if it is one of yours, apologies for lack of proper accreditation.
I did make note of the fact that I was gonna make the heck out of this, because, who wouldn’t? Kraft dinner, ground meat, taco seasoning, tomatoes with green chiles, and cheese? What is not to love?
I also seriously upped the veggies, adding coleslaw mix, onion, and garlic.
Very good, I will make this again!
INGREDIENTS
Meat:
•1 lb ground beef, chicken, or turkey
•2 cups diced sweet onion
•2 cups coleslaw mix
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•1 tsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce – or your fave hot sauce, to taste
Mac and Cheese:
•1 box Kraft dinner
•1/4 cup milk
•1/4 cup butter
•1/4 cup Catalina Zesty dressing
Casserole:
•Kraft dinner, prepared
•Ground beef mixture, cooked
•1 pkg taco seasoning
•1 can Ro*tel tomatoes with chiles
•Shredded cheese
*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.
Cook the ground beef with the onion and coleslaw mix in a large pan over medium high heat, breaking the meat up into small pieces, until the meat is cooked and the onion and coleslaw mix are tender. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic.
Stir in the Sherry Peppers and hot sauce, if using, and continue to cook until most of the pan liquids have cooked off.
Transfer to a colander and set aside.
Heat your oven to 350º.
Bring water to a boil in the pan and add the macaroni and cook for nine minutes.
Drain and prepare according to box instructions, except, add that 1/4 cup of Catalina dressing with the milk, cheese packet, and butter.
Stir in the ground beef/veggie mixture, the taco seasoning, and the canned tomatoes.
Transfer to a casserole dish and top with shredded cheese.
Pop into the over and bake for about 30 minutes, until the casserole is heated through and the cheese is nicely melted.
I served ours with a side salad and traditional taco toppings.