Easy Mexican Mac and Cheese

FLKeysJen's Note:

Creamy, cheesy, spicy...and cooks up easily in your crockpot even if you don't have a kitchen. At your desk at work? Yes! Anywhere with an electrical outlet! This is not one of those "dump and go" recipes as you can't leave your crockpot unattended, but a tastier alternative to boxed mac and cheese.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 8 ounces penne pasta , uncooked
• ½ cup mexican lager beer (such as Corona)
• 4 slices bacon , diced
• 10 ounces rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies (not drained)
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups milk
• 12 ounces monterey jack pepper cheese , cubed (I used one and a half 8 oz. blocks of KRAFT Natural Pepper Jack)

Garnishes

• green onion , sliced
• tortilla chips , crushed

Directions:

1. SPRAY crockpot with cooking spray.
2. DUMP pasta, then all other ingredients (except garnishes) in your crockpot.
3. COOK ON HIGH for at least 45 minutes without disturbing; from that point on, stir every half hour or so, checking to see if the pasta is done. Leave the top off as little as possible; let the crockpot do it's thing! My newer model four-quart crockpot took approximately two hours total to cook the pasta perfectly. When your pasta is cooked, proceed to Step #4.
4. SERVE -- topped generously with green onions and crushed tortilla chips! Be sure to turn off the crockpot or switch to the warm setting, so the pasta doesn't get mushy.

Reviews

[Mommy Diva]

A decent recipe, mild in flavor for what I was expecting. I liked the idea of the flavors, but would increase the spice next time, would also make the bacon crisp prior to adding it in. Just about 2 hours worked for mine, but I do have an older crockpot...I do suggest checking your pasta frequently and turning it to low early to avoid overcooking pasta. Next attempt I might add a jalepeno pepper for a little more spice. Nice and creamy - good recipe using ingredients well. Thanks! Made for first Craze-E Contest 2008.

[JanuaryBride]

Mine turned into total mush between an hour and fifteen minutes and an hour and forty-five minutes. Tasted great, but could not serve (noodles were totally gone). I liked the ingredients though and may try it again, turning it to low after the first 45 minutes.

[Chef Jean]

Dh and I thought this was great! We thought that the spice was just right and that everything blended well. I did use turkey bacon(as I always do) and I think that might have helped with the "chewy bacon" problem another reviewer had. I didn't mind the "babysitting" because it only took 2 hours and I just stirred whenever I went back into the kitchen. This did turn out very rich even with low fat milk, which we really enjoyed. Great recipe, thanks.