Mexican Mac Hot Pot

This can be served as a meal, it has all the veggies for your vitamins, cheese and beans for protein and pasta for carbohydrates. You can make it mild or spicy, can make it more cheesy or saucy.


Ingredients:


1 can of Baked vegetarian beans or pinto beans

2 green peppers sliced or chopped

2 Jalapeno peppers chopped (optional)

2 onions sliced in to rings

6 cloves of garlic chopped

1 eight oz pack of sliced mushrooms

1 cup of corn kernels (optional)

1 tablespoon butter

3 tables spoon olive oil

1 tablespoon of roasted cumin powder

3/4 cup tomato ketchup

1 can of peeled whole tomatoes chopped with its juice(I used 2 large fresh tomatoes blanched and peeled this time since I did not have canned whole tomatoes)

2 cups of cheddar cheese

1 cup Mozzarella cheese

1 (12 oz) bottle of Ortega taco sauce

1 bottle of any chunky salsa, I prefer pace hot chunky salsa

1/2 cup of Mayonnaise

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

2 cups of macaroni shells or desired shape (I used shells and spirals)

2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or to desired heat)

1 teaspoon of cayenne powder (or to taste)

Salt to taste




Method:


* Preheat oven to 400 F

* Add olive oil and butter in heated pan on stove.

* When oil is hot, add cumin powder.

* Add Sliced onions, Jalapenos and garlic, saute for 3-5 min.

* Add green peppers and mushrooms cook for 2-3 min.

* Add tomatoes, mix well and cook for another 2-3 min.

* Add beans and corn cook for another 2 -3 min

* Add tomato ketchup, half of taco sauce taco sauce, salsa, mix well, cook for 2 min

* Add mayo and heavy cream, mix well.

* Add Macaroni shells, salt, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper and half of cheddar cheese and Mozzarella cheese.

* Pour all ingredients in a baking dish, mix well, sprinkle rest of the cheeses and rest of the sauce.

* Bake it for 20-25 min at 400 F.

* Serve Hot.






This recipes yields 8 servings.

Recipe modified by Surekha from a recipe given to her by her good friend Bhadra.

Photographs by Surekha.