Hi everyone! It’s Becky from Becky’s Best Bites FINALLY back with y’all. So sorry for my absence, but I was forced to take a bit of a break from blogging and the kitchen. I will spare you all the lovely details…but to make a long story short, I severely cut my right thumb and ended up having to get the entire thumbnail removed as well! And I am right handed, so that meant no cooking, picture taking, typing for a while until it healed. It isn’t completely healed as the thumbnail will take a quite awhile to regrow, but the worst is better and I am slowly getting back to business.
So today I am sharing with you a super easy and quick dinner that would work great for any busy weeknight, the Mexi Mac Skillet. You guessed it…it is a mexican take on a mac and cheese. The ingredients are ones you probably have on-hand already or are an easy add to your next shopping trip. Nothing too fancy here, but a tasty meal that I was able to make healthier with a few simple swaps.
I stumbled across the original recipe on Pinterest when I was trying to figure out what to do for dinner that night with the ground beef that I had pull out of the freezer that morning. Pinterest is my go-to when looking for recipe inspiration. You can check me out on Pinterest here, if you would like. The Mexi-Mac Skillet recipe by Taste of Home looked like a great recipe that would be perfect for a weekend night. On the table in 30 minutes or less and used ingredients that I happened to have on hand, so I thought I would give it a try making a few modifications to make it healthier and thus Becky’s Best Bites approved.
Here is the recipe for Mexi Mac Skillet:
Ingredients
- 16 oz. 100% whole grain or gluten-free rotini pasta
- 1 large, sweet onion, chopped
- 3-4 fresh garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 1 lb. 93% lean ground beef or 100% ground turkey breast
- 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced, fire roasted tomatoes or about 5-6 whole fresh tomatoes, diced
- 12 oz. fresh or frozen corn
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder (more if you like it spicy, like I do)
- 1 tbsp. fresh spicy oregano, chopped
- 1 tbsp. cumin
- 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat pepper jack or cheddar cheese
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup starchy pasta water. Drain and set aside, keeping warm.
- In a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat, brown onion, garlic and ground beef or turkey until no pick remains in the meat and onion is soft and translucent.
- Add tomatoes, corn, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, oregano, cumin and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle with cheese, add pasta and reserved cooking water. Stir to combine and melt cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
I hope you enjoy this recipe I look forward to connecting with you
- Find me on Facebook!
- Hit me up on Twitter!
- Pin with me on Pinterest!
- Or, you can always email me at becky (@) beckysbestbites.com
Until next time…Love, Becky
Alisha says
I just made this tonight. I loved it. It was great and my little girl, who is 5, ate 3 bowls! The boys ate it because it was food but my husband said it was awesome! LOL Something different sure helped! Thanks!!!