Taco Ground Beef Mac and Cheese

This Taco Ground Beef Mac and Cheese is a delicious adult version of the childhood classic!

Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? Creamy, hearty, and decadent, this dish is a favourite for a reason. As a teen my introduction to mac and cheese was the dried boxed stuff that barely resembles dairy. As an adult, I tried gourmet style mac and cheese at restaurants and was excited by the idea of a better version of the childhood classic. I set about trying to make the best adult mac and cheese I could, then started experimenting with ways to make this delicious meal even more tasty. When I made this Taco Ground Beef Mac and Cheese for family for the first time, my son told me it was one of his favourite meals ever. I hope that when you try it, you’ll agree that this is a delicious meal to add to your repertoire.

I decided to make this version of taco mac and cheese even more flavourful with the addition of gourmet cheeses and deliciously spicy taco beef. The rich and flavourful Old Cheddar is beautifully complimented by the sharpness of the Pecorino. This gooey cheesy pasta is punctuated by savoury earthy beef, and topped with delicious Parmesan, adding further layers of flavour to this beautiful dish. I am sure that once you try this recipe, you’ll never think of mac and cheese the same way again.

TOTAL TIME

• Preparation Time – 10 minutes
• Cooking Time – 50 minutes
• Total Time – 1 hour

INGREDIENTS FOR TACO GROUND BEEF MAC AND CHEESE

All the ingredients for this Taco Ground Beef Mac and Cheese are easy to source from any local grocer.

Ground Beef

• 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
• 1/2 lb Ground Beef
• 1/2 tbsp Chili powder
• 1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/8 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/8 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1/4 tsp Paprika
• 3/4 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup Water
  
  

Mac n Cheese

• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 Red onion, minced
• 1 tsp Avocado oil
• 4 cups Old White Cheddar, grated
• 2 cups Pecorino Romano, grated
• 1/4 tsp Chili powder
• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp All purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups Milk
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 box Mafalda Cortada pasta (~500g)

CAN I USE PRE GRATED CHEESE?

Absolutely not. Pre grated cheese contains chemicals to prevent the individual shreds from clumping together. Not only does this add unnecessary additives to your meal, but the cheese won’t taste as fresh and flavourful.

CAN I MAKE THIS LESS SPICY?

If you’d like to make this meal less spicy, you can reduce the amount of chili powder.

CAN I USE JUST ONE KIND OF CHEESE?

I would not recommend that. Part of the complexity of this dish is the result of the different kinds of cheese that are used and how their flavours compliment one another. I strongly recommend using Pecorino, Aged Cheddar, and Parmesan.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

CAN I SUBSTITUTE ANOTHER MEAT FOR BEEF?

If you’d like to avoid red meat in this dish, both ground turkey and ground chicken can be used instead. Keep in mind that poultry has less flavour than beef and may need extra seasoning as a result.

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF PASTA?

You can use a different style of pasta if you’d like. I’d recommend a short pasta like cornetti, pipette, fusilli, cavatappi, or campanelle. Make sure that whatever pasta you use, you cook it extremely al dente before adding it to the sauce.

CAN I SUBSTITUTE A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHEESE?

I like using Old Cheddar, Pecorino and Parmesan because they have a sharp, salty flavour that not only melts well but compliments the taco beef beautifully. If you prefer something milder, medium cheddar and havarti would work nicely as well.

EQUIPMENT FOR TACO GROUND BEEF MAC AND CHEESE

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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make this delicious Taco Ground Beef Mac and Cheese:

• Heavy Bottomed Pan – My most used pan by far is my Le Creuset Braising Pan. It is made of heavy cast iron and coated in ceramic as all Le Creuset cast iron pans are. It’s large and deep which makes it perfect for everything from frying, to making sauces, to roasting. I can’t recommend it enough.

• Wooden Spoon

• Kitchen Aid Food Processor – I use my Kitchen Aid Food Processor whenever I need to to finely chop and puree vegetables or a sauce. It also works beautifully to grate large amounts of cheese for this dish quickly.
  

• Kitchen Knife – Zwilling J.A. Henkel Kitchen Knife a good kitchen knife is a necessary tool for any home cook. Quality and price point varies widely. This is what I use at home. It’s a perfectly decent knife, while still being very affordable.

• Cutting Board

COOKING DIRECTIONS

This Taco Ground Beef Mac and Cheese is as simple to prepare as it is delicious, provided you follow a few rules:

1. Always use freshly grated cheese.
2. Make sure you brown your beef! This gives it a delicious caramelized flavour.
3. Undercook your pasta before adding it to the sauce.

MAKE AHEAD STORAGE

You can save some time by making the taco beef in advance and refrigerating it.

This sumptuous pasta can be stored in the fridge for up to four days, and frozen in an airtight container. Be careful when reheating this mac and cheese because the dairy fat gets extremely hot!

FINISHED DISH

Enjoy your amazing Taco Ground Beef Mac and Cheese!

OTHER BEEF DISHES

Ground Beef Zucchini Pasta

The Best Bolognese Lasagna

The Best Beef Soft Shell Taco

Pork and Beef Rigatoni Bolognese

Beef and Zucchini Cannelloni

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

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