Nacho Macaroni and Cheese

Julia    recipes   

Macaroni and cheese is such a comfort food for me and I love trying new varieties of it. This one is not only cheesy, but a little spicy as well. And it is topped with Doritos for a tasty crunch.

Nacho Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, finely diced
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 10 ounces diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• black pepper, to taste
• 16 ounces elbow noodles
• 1 1/2 cups crushed Nacho cheese Doritos

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain.
3. In a large pot, over medium-high heat, cook the ground turkey, diced onion and diced jalapeño until the ground turkey is completely cooked.
4. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the ground turkey mixture and stir to combine. Transfer the ground turkey to a bowl and set aside.
5. In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and whisk together for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk.
6. Add in the diced tomatoes and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.
7. Add in 1 1/2 cups pepper jack cheese and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese. Stir until both cheeses are completely melted.
8. Add in the meat mixture and cook elbow pasta. Stir until everything is well combined.
9. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
10. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of both cheeses and the crushed Doritos on top.
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes, checking at about 5 minutes before the lowest cooking time to make sure the Doritos are not getting too browned.

Enjoy!!!

Notes:
I used a combination of low fat milk and half and half as a substitute for the whole milk.

Nutrition Facts
Serves: 10
Amount Per Serving
Calories 608
Total Fat		30.5g
Saturated Fat		14.9g
Polyunsaturated Fat		0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat		1.3g
Trans Fat		0g
Cholesterol		100mg
Sodium		620.4mg
Potassium		161.9mg
Total Carbohydrates		54.2g
Dietary Fiber		3.2g
Sugars		6.6g
Protein		29.8g
Vitamin A 23.89% Vitamin C 6.85%
Calcium 40.61% Iron 14.63%
*Nutritional information will vary depending on the brands you use.

*Adapted from Spicy Southern Kitchen.