Get the App

Recipes

Find a Recipe Blue Ribbon Recipes Pinch It!™ Feed Browse All Recipes

Editorial

Food Bites & Articles Videos What is a Blue Ribbon? Meet the Test Kitchen

Community

Member Recipes Groups Sweepstakes Contests Shopping

mac & cheese casserole gone wild!

Irisa avatar
Recipe by
Irisa Raina 9
@Irisa
New Iberia, LA

I wasn’t going to post this recipe, but my husband said it was really good and reminded me he went back for seconds ~ This is a sweet w/ a wee bit of kick casserole which goes really well with a garden salad. If you can’t find the salsa that I am using here “ Mexican isle in the supermarket “ just add any jarred taco sauce of your liking. I like to use ribbed pasta instead of a traditional elbow macaroni, because the ribs in the pasta helps hold the sauce. And the reason I put some of the “un~cheesed “ pasta on the bottom is you’ll get all the crisp and crusty goodness from it browning.

yield 4 or 5
method Bake

Ingredients For mac & cheese casserole gone wild!

  • 6 ounces of rotini “ use whatever pasta you like “ i’m guessing at this amount because it was in the opened box.
  • 8 ounces bacon cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 medium green pepper “chopped “
  • ½ red onion minced
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 & 2/3 to 2 cups milk
  • 1 & ½ cups {about} nacho sauce “ mine was left over from my nacho recipe here on jap” enchilada da da
  • 1 – 7 ounce can herdez salsa “ this product is more of a sauce than a salsa but it is extremely favorable
  • 1 – 12 ounce can vernor’s ginger ale
  • 1 cup of sweet potatoes “ i had my sweet potato tots filling “ so i used that, recipe here on jap “ sweet potato tots. you can also bake a small/medium sweet potato and add that you’ll just have to adjust the seasonings.
  • 8 ounces extra sharp cheese grated.
  • tostitos chips crushed “ about 3 cups “

How To Make mac & cheese casserole gone wild!

  • 1
    DIRECTIONS:
  • 2
    In a large pot bring the ginger ale, enchilada sauce and salsa ranchera to a boil, add the pasta and boil for 5 to 6 minutes, you’ll want this undercooked “ do not drain “. Let it cool slightly and then set aside in a bowl.
  • 3
    Fry the bacon, and when it is almost crisp add the green pepper and red onion, keep frying till the peppers are soft and the onion is cooked.
  • 4
    Add this to the pasta mixture and stir.
  • 5
    Add the sweet potato mixture and mix.
  • 6
    In a pot melt the butter and add the flour, making a roux. Stir it till the flour has cooked somewhat, then add the milk and cook on a medium high heat till it thickens.
  • 7
    Then add the cheese and stir till it is all melted.
  • 8
    Leave out about 2 to 3 cups of the pasta before you add the cheese.
  • 9
    Add the rest of the cheese mixture to the pasta.
  • 10
    Spray an 8X8 pan and put the “ un~cheesed pasta “ on the bottom.
  • 11
    Then put the cheese and pasta on top of the plain pasta. Top with crushed tortillas.
  • 12
    Put the pan on top of a baking sheet in case of bubbling.
  • 13
    Bake at 375 covered for 1 hour, after that time remove the cover and continue to cook for ½ hour longer till it is all bubbly and browned.
  • 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!
ADVERTISEMENT