Kristopher's Taco Macaroni Casserole.

Submitted by Laci1093

"This recipe was inspired by Derf's Belly Buster Recipe. It has been heavily modified in ingredients and procedure. I feel the recipe now qualifies as a new recipe. Thank you to Derf for the inspiration :D This version of the recipe is being named for my son Kristopher ( 13 at the time of writing ) who helped me tonight in making all the revisions. Thank you Honey!:D"

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) box dreamfield's elbow macaroni (or Elbow Macaroni of Your Choice)
• 2 lbs hamburger, Browned
• 1⁄4 cup red onion, Chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil oregano and garlic (Do not Drain)
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (No Water , other Cream of Soup can be substituted)
• 0.5 (1 1/2 ounce) envelope mild taco seasoning (or make your own)
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 2 -4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or enough to cover casserole top)
• salt and pepper (we prefer Kosher)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook elbow macaroni "Al dente" approx 10 minutes.
3. Brown hamburger with red onion and garlic.
4. Drain fat.
5. In a large mixing bowl.
6. Add drained Hamburger.
7. Add drained Macaroni.
8. Add soup ( no water ).
9. Add tomatoes with liquid.
10. Add 1 Cup of Shredded Cheese.
11. Add 1/2 Packet Mild Taco Seasoning.
12. Add salt and pepper to taste.
13. In mixing bowl throughly combine ingredients.
14. Placed combined mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
15. Sprinkle the 2-4 cups ( Use more or less to your liking ) of shredded cheese over top of the casserole.
16. bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbling around edges and cheese is melted and lightly browned.
17. Serve with Green Salad or Cucumber / Tomato slices on the side.

Reviews

[GaylaV]

I am not rating as I made too many changes. However, just in case someone is looking to decrease the the fat and calories and increase the fibre this is what I did. I used lean ground beef, whole wheat pasta (penne) and low fat cheese. I made a half recipe and for two of us there was nearly 2/3 left. I think the servings per recipe is extremely generous. Served with a nice salad we could nearly get 6 servings from 1/2 casserole. I used hot and spicy taco seasoning because that is what I had. I thought it was perfect, my husband thought it was a bit spicy. I used diced tomatoes with peppers, onion and garlic, also because that is what I had. First, I have no doubt it would be better without my diet friendly substitutions but it was still good. I do look forward to enjoying the leftovers tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your recipe and glad that I was able to make it work for us.

 

[jessymroberts]

EASY to throw together, delicious to eat. I made as written, except I subbed a couple of velveeta cheese cubes (needed to be used) for the cheddar in the casserole and added some frozen southwestern veggies (corn, black beans, onion & peppers) to bulk it up a bit. I still used the cheddar on the top of the casserole for an ooey gooey layer of goodness. THANKS for a quick and tasty lunch! (P.S. This makes a LOT of food... we'll have leftovers for at least another meal. Next time, I'll halve the recipe. Goes well with a crispy green salad.)

 

[um-um-good]

Our family enjoyed this very much. I had frozen taco meat,so it was just a matter of defrosting it & making the recipe. it is a great, fast dish. I didn't have cream of mushroom soup so i substituted a can of cheddar cheese soup. i also added 1 can of black beans. it was yummy! thanks for a quick meal idea.

 

[bmcnichol]

This was really good. The leftovers were just as good. My kids really enjoyed this. Followed the recipe exactly except I used regular onions and not red onions as I didn't have any.

 

[Michelle S.]

Muy bueno Kristopher! I halved the recipe, using the full can of soup and 1/2 envelope of taco seasoning. We did not have any diced tomatoes (grrrr) so I used an 8 oz can of spanish tomato sauce and added a generous dash of basil and oregano to the mixture. We served ours with a generous dollop of sour cream on top. I cannot wait to have leftovers for lunch today, cause I snuck a taste after it cooled and the flavors seemed to have intensified. This is a fantastic after work dinner and will be on our table frequently I am sure. Thanks for sharing!