CHEESEBURGER CHILI PROTEIN MAC
Servings 4 / Approximately 501 Calories, 54.7 Carbs, 15.2g Fat, 45g Protein / Estimated Time 15Min
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Hoosier Hill Farm Big Daddy Mac Mix
1 – 1.25oz Hot Chili Seasoning Mix (can sub with a mild chili mix)
1 – 8oz Box Banza Cavatappi Protein Pasta
2 – 5oz Cans of Carnation Evaporated Milk (can use regular milk of your choosing)
16oz 94/6 Lean Ground Beef
Salt
Black Pepper
Preparation:
1. Start cooking your Banza Cavatappi Pasta. I prepared min according to the package directions. It suggested 6-8 Minutes for a cooking time. When I cooked mine, I only needed the 6 minutes.
2. While the pasta is cooking, find a Medium to Large size skillet. I use a non-stick skillet just for ease of use and clean up.
a. Place this on your stove top and turn the heat on to medium high to get the pan hot.
b. When the pan is hot, add your ground beef to the pan, sprinkle a little salt and black pepper on top, and then chop and stir the meat until it is cooked through.
i. This should take about 5-6 Minutes.
c. When the meat is almost cooked all the way through, turn your heat down to the lowest setting to keep the meat warm.
3. At this point, your pasta should be finished cooking.
4. Drain your pasta in a colander.
a. With this Chickpea Pasta, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you rinse the pasta after it is done cooking. Do not treat this like normal pasta and use it without rinsing it.
b. I like to fill the pot up with water again, add the pasta back in and then swirl it around and drain it again.
5. Now that your pasta is set aside, rinsed, and draining, you can move onto the sauce.
6. Return the pot you cooked the past in back on the stove top at medium heat.
7. Open the can of evaporated milk and pour them in the pot.
8. Once the milk begins to warm up, add your cheese powder and chili seasoning mix in the milk and whisk it together to get the lumps out.
9. After the milk is slightly warmed up, but before it comes to a boil, the sauce should begin to thicken up a little bit.
10. At this point, add your pasta and cooked ground beef to the cheese sauce and stir to combine.
11. It’s as easy as that!
a. Now you are ready to plate it up.
This is a quick and easy meal that you can easily double up to serve a larger family. Also, if you are not trying to add in extra protein to your life, you can easily utilize regular pasta as well. If you do not have cheese powder, you could make a Roux from 1 tablespoon of butter & 1 tablespoon of flour and cook that in your saucepan for 1-2 minutes and then add in 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of shredded white cheddar (or other cheese of your choice). Usually a 1-1-1 ratio of butter, flour and milk will provide a nice cream sauce base for you.
I hope you enjoy! This reminded me of my college days when Hamburger Helper was always on hand for a quick cheap meal!
