BEEFY VEGETABLE MAC & CHEESE CUPS

BEEFY VEGETABLE MAC & CHEESE CUPS image

This recipe came about because I had left over macaroni & cheese, and wanted to remix it to create a new dinner idea. I decided to sort of make my own HAMBURGER HELPER type meal idea. I knew I needed something to beef up the flavor of plain Mac & Cheese, so I decided to use dry chili seasoning mix, it was the right choice, then adding in the chopped veggies and spices was a perfect combination. You could just eat it from the skillet if you so desired, or be creative and stuff it in a veggie cup like tomatoes, or peppers or even squash. We loved it, & had enough to share with my neighbor.

Provided by Rose Mary Mogan @cookinginillinois

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

2 pound(s) ground beef, i used ground chuck
5 cup(s) cooked macaroni & cheese, approximate- i used left overs
4 medium tomatoes, halved if large or tops removed if medium size
4 medium poblano peppers, tops removed & seeded,split in half
1 bunch(es) green onions, chopped
1 medium jalapeno, seeded & chopped
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 tablespoon(s) granulated garlic, or as desired to taste
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 can(s) diced tomatoes, 15 oz.
1 can(s) rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis
2 package(s) dry chili seasoning mix (1.25 oz) each
1 cup(s) shredded cheddar cheese or cheese of choice as desired
1 cup(s) shredded cheddar cheese or cheese of choice as desired

Steps:

PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES F. These are some of the main ingredients used in this recipe
Chop vegetables by hand or in food processor. Process tomatoes and peppers, by scooping out center of tomatoes with a spoon, then seeding and removing membrane from peppers. Spray a 9 X15 size dish with cooking spray and set aside till needed. Reserve some of the green onion tops to garnish vegetable cups when cooked.
Add both ground chuck and chopped veggies to a large bowl. NOTE: I did not add salt to this recipe because of the spices I used. So use your own judgement.
Now add in both packs of the dry chili mix packages. Mix together until throughly combined.
Now add to a large skillet and cook over medium high heat,until no pink remains. Drain any excess accumulated liquids. Then add in spices & stir to mix. continue to cook.
Now add in the cooked macaroni and cheese and stir to mix together and continue to cook to allow flavors to blend.
When mixture looks like this you can serve and eat if desired, but I chose to stuff the mixture into the tomatoes and poblano peppers.
Fill the peppers and tomatoes with meat mixture then top with shredded cheese. Pour in the both cans of diced tomatoes. Cover with a lid or foil and place in preheated oven to cook for 50 minutes. Then remove cover and continue to cook an additional 10 minutes or so.
Serve and enjoy. With this recipe you can use the idea of what I did, you may not have as much as I used, but it is the idea of REPURPOSEING A LEFTOVER TO CREATE SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT. Hope you like this recipe, we sure did. Add a Salad and Dinner Rolls or some Garlic Bread for a complete meal.