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2-fer nacho cheese dinners

(1 rating)
ragingval avatar
Recipe by
Valkyrie Raehl
@ragingval
El Paso, TX

This recipe makes 2 distinct meals that kids will love!

(1 rating)
yield serving(s)
prep time 20 Min
cook time 4 Hr
method Slow Cooker Crock Pot

Ingredients For 2-fer nacho cheese dinners

  • 1 can
    1 lg can of nacho cheese sauce, we prefer with jalapeño flavor
  • 1 jar
    salsa, chunky
  • 1 can
    green chiles, diced- size of can depends on your taste
  • 2 can
    tomatoes, diced, either fire roasted, chili ready, with lime & cilantro, or with chilis(i've found w/ habanero), or a combination; use 1 can for round 1 & 1 can in round 2
  • 1-1 1/2 lb
    ground beef, cooked ( or i've subbed 8 oz of chorizo, cooked & drained)
  • 2 bag
    pasta shells
  • finely diced: 1/2 med onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, garlic to taste, 1/4 red & green pepper
  • 2 c
    milk

How To Make 2-fer nacho cheese dinners

  • 1
    Round one is making the nacho sauce. I started using the large cans of nacho cheese. I put it in a greased slow cooker. I mix in 2 C of milk, 1 jar of salsa, 1 of the cans of diced tomatoes, & the can of green chilis. Put on low & heat for 4 hrs. Watch to make sure it doesn't burn around the edges. I start stirring after 2 hrs. Serve as a dip or over chips. It also woks as a warm dip for veggies.
  • 2
    Round 2: put the finely diced veggies & the other can of diced tomatoes in a greased slow cooker; cover & cook 2 hrs. (This is how I sneak veggies into my meals so my kids can't pick them out. When I say finely diced, I mean FINELY diced. They just kinda disappear into the sauce.)
  • 3
    About an hour in, cook the ground beef (or chorizo), and drain. Add the cooked meat to the veggies in the cooker & continue cooking. After another hour, add in left-over nacho cheese sauce to heat through.
  • 4
    As the sauce is heating, prepare pasta shells according to package directions to al dente. Drain thoroughly & mix into nacho sauce. Let cook another 1/2 hr, until noodles have absorbed most of the sauce. Now you have Nacho Mac n Cheese.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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