Southwestern Casserole

By sjhelling

I've been making this mild family-pleasing casserole for years. It tastes wonderful, fits nicely into our budget and, best of all, makes a second one to freeze and enjoy later. —Joan Hallford, North Richland Hills, Texas

Ingredients

• 2 cups (8 ounces) uncooked elbow macaroni
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 55mins
Adapted from tasteofhome.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat, crumbling beef, until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in next eight ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain macaroni; stir into beef mixture.

Preheat oven to 375°. Transfer macaroni mixture to two greased 2-qt. baking dishes. Top with cheese and jalapenos. Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until bubbly and heated through, about 10 minutes longer. Serve one casserole. Cool the second; cover and freeze up to 3 months.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in refrigerator 8 hours. Preheat oven to 375°. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°, 20-25 minutes. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

*******Editor's Note: Wear disposable gloves when cutting hot peppers; the oils can burn skin. Avoid touching your face.

1 cup: 321 calories, 15g fat (7g saturated fat), 64mg cholesterol, 673mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 4g fiber), 24g protein.