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Cowboy Mac and Cheese | The Recipe Critic

March 18, 2025
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Creamy, tacky Cowboy Mac and Cheese will get a daring twist with hearty additions like seasoned meat, tomatoes, jalapeños, corn, beans, and onions. It’s wealthy, flavorful, and simply the correct quantity of spice! The warmth is heat however not overwhelming. In case you prefer it spicy, add extra jalapeños!

Tops down shot of cowboy mac and cheese in a skillet, garnished with sliced jalapeño.

Causes You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Easy One-Pot Meal: Cowboy Mac & Cheese comes collectively in a single pot with easy elements. It’s good for a fast and comfortable weeknight meal.
  • Scrumptious Consolation Meals: Basic mac and cheese meets daring Tex-Mex flavors for a deliciously satisfying dish. Take pleasure in it with a facet of chips and salsa!
  • Hearty and Satisfying! The addition of meat, beans, and veggies provides substance to your common macaroni and cheese recipe, making it an entire meal.

Grown-Up Mac & Cheese

As a result of generally you desire a good mac and cheese! You’re an grownup now, so that you don’t should accept boxed Kraft Mac N Cheese. This cowboy Mac and cheese has a good serving to of greens and protein, so you possibly can be ok with this being a reasonably well-rounded meal, even when it has quite a lot of tasty cheese.

Components Wanted

Overhead shot of labeled cowboy mac and cheese ingredients. Overhead shot of labeled cowboy mac and cheese ingredients.

***Quantity of Add-Ins: You may add complete cans of beans, corn, and diced tomatoes, however I discovered that it was an excessive amount of quantity to slot in my skillet. In case you have a 5-quart or bigger oven-safe pot or skillet that can match every thing, I like to recommend utilizing complete cans!

How one can Make Cowboy Mac and Cheese

Let’s get cooking! Making this cowboy Mac and cheese recipe is easy and it comes along with little effort. You’ll begin by cooking the pasta till completely tender, then put together the hearty meat and veggie combination that offers this dish its signature taste. Lastly, every thing will get mixed with a wealthy and creamy cheese sauce for a meal that’s completely irresistible.

  1. Cook dinner Pasta, Beef, Onion, and Jalapeños: Boil the elbow macaroni in accordance with the package deal instructions till al dente, drain, and put aside. In a massive oven-safe skillet, brown floor beef, onion, and diced jalapeño over medium-high warmth till the meat is cooked by way of, about 5 minutes. Drain any grease off and return the skillet to warmth.
  2. Begin the Sauce: Add the unsalted butter to the skillet and stir to soften. Whisk within the all-purpose flour to create a thick paste.
  3. Stir in Milk and Add-Ins: Slowly whisk within the complete milk, diced tomatoes with inexperienced chilies, black beans, and corn. Proceed to stir and cook dinner till heated by way of, 2-3 minutes.
  4. Combine in Cheese and Seasonings: Add the shredded cheddar cheese, shredded pepper jack cheese, chili powder, salt, and pepper to the skillet, scale back to medium warmth, stir, and cook dinner till the cheese is melted in and every thing is combined nicely.
  5. Add Pasta: Add the cooked pasta to the skillet, stir to mix, and cook dinner for a couple of minutes to permit the noodles to take in among the cheese sauce. Preheat the oven to broil on HIGH.
  6. Broil: High the mac and cheese with shredded cheddar cheese. Broil on HIGH for 2-3 minutes till the cheese is simply golden and bubbly. Take away and revel in!
Ground beef, onions and jalapeños cooking in a skillet. Ground beef, onions and jalapeños cooking in a skillet.
Butter and flour being whisked into the ground beef mixture. Butter and flour being whisked into the ground beef mixture.
Whole milk, black beans, corn and canned tomatoes with green chilies added to the skillet. Whole milk, black beans, corn and canned tomatoes with green chilies added to the skillet.
Overhead shot of the cheese, chili powder and salt and pepper added to the mixture. Overhead shot of the cheese, chili powder and salt and pepper added to the mixture.
Cooked noodles are added to the skillet with the cheesy, creamy beef mixture. Cooked noodles are added to the skillet with the cheesy, creamy beef mixture.
Everything is stirred together in a skillet and topped with shredded cheddar cheese. Everything is stirred together in a skillet and topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

Customise Your Cowboy Mac and Cheese

There are many methods to make this cowboy Mac and cheese your individual! Whether or not you need to flip up the warmth or swap out the cheese for a special selection, there are many easy tweaks you may make.

  • Spice it up! Add extra warmth to this mac and cheese by including further diced jalapeños and/or chili powder, ½ teaspoon at a time.
  • Can I swap up the cheese? You should use your favourite cheeses for this mac. I just like the slight warmth and taste you get from the cheddar and pepper jack mixture. 
  • Can I take advantage of a special pasta? I like traditional elbow macaroni for my mac and cheese, however shells or bowties would even be nice pasta to make use of!
  • Do I’ve to make use of complete milk? I like to recommend complete milk, however you should use any share of milk. In case you use lower than whole-fat milk, it’ll lead to much less wealthy cheese sauce.

Close up shot of someone pulling a scoop of cowboy mac and cheese out of the skillet. Close up shot of someone pulling a scoop of cowboy mac and cheese out of the skillet.

How one can Retailer Leftovers Cowboy Mac & Cheese

This cowboy mac and cheese tastes implausible the following day for lunch! Right here is one of the best ways to retailer it for later!

  • Within the Fridge: Retailer leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. 
  • Within the Freezer: Freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for as much as 3 months.

Extra Scrumptious Cowboy Recipes

I’ve all kinds of various cowboy-inspired recipes with a southwestern aptitude. They’re all about daring flavors, hearty elements, and a country, no-fuss method to cooking. Listed below are a few of my favs!

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  • Cook dinner the 8 ounces raw elbow macaroni in accordance with the package deal instructions till al dente, drain, and put aside.

  • In a big oven-safe skillet, cook dinner the ½ pound lean floor beef, ½ cup minced onion, and 1 complete seeded diced jalapeño over medium-high warmth till the meat is cooked by way of, about 5 minutes. Drain any grease off and return the skillet to warmth.

  • Add the 3 tablespoons unsalted butter to the skillet and stir to soften. Whisk within the 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour to create a thick paste.

  • Slowly whisk within the 2 ½ cups complete milk, ½ cup canned diced tomatoes with inexperienced chilies, ½ cup drained black beans, and ½ cup drained corn. Proceed to stir and cook dinner till heated by way of, 2-3 minutes.

  • Add the 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the skillet, scale back the warmth to medium, stir, and cook dinner till the cheese is melted in and every thing is combined nicely.

  • Add the cooked pasta to the skillet, stir to mix, and cook dinner for a couple of minutes to permit the noodles to take in among the cheese sauce. Preheat the oven to broil on HIGH

  • High the mac and cheese with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese for topping and broil on HIGH for 2-3 minutes till the cheese is simply golden and bubbly. Take away and revel in!

Energy: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 27gFats: 28gSaturated Fats: 16gPolyunsaturated Fats: 1gMonounsaturated Fats: 7gTrans Fats: 0.3gLdl cholesterol: 93mgSodium: 786mgPotassium: 480mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1013IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 530mgIron: 2mg

Vitamin info is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.



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