Creamy, cheesy Cowboy Mac and Cheese gets a bold twist with hearty additions like seasoned meat, tomatoes, jalapeños, corn, beans, and onions. It’s rich, flavorful, and just the right amount of spice! The heat is warm but not overwhelming. If you like it spicy, add more jalapeños!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple One-Pot Meal: Cowboy Mac & Cheese comes together in one pot with simple ingredients. It’s perfect for a quick and cozy weeknight meal.
- Delicious Comfort Food: Classic mac and cheese meets bold Tex-Mex flavors for a deliciously satisfying dish. Enjoy it with a side of chips and salsa!
- Hearty and Satisfying! The addition of meat, beans, and veggies adds substance to your average macaroni and cheese recipe, making it a complete meal.
Grown-Up Mac & Cheese
Because sometimes you want a good mac and cheese! You’re an adult now, so you don’t have to settle for boxed Kraft Mac N Cheese. This cowboy Mac and cheese has a decent helping of vegetables and protein, so you can feel good about this being a pretty well-rounded meal, even if it has a lot of tasty cheese.
Ingredients Needed
***Amount of Add-Ins: You can add whole cans of beans, corn, and diced tomatoes, but I found that it was too much volume to fit in my skillet. If you have a 5-quart or larger oven-safe pot or skillet that will fit everything, I recommend using whole cans!
How to Make Cowboy Mac and Cheese
Let’s get cooking! Making this cowboy Mac and cheese recipe is simple and it comes together with little effort. You’ll start by cooking the pasta until perfectly tender, then prepare the hearty meat and veggie mixture that gives this dish its signature flavor. Finally, everything gets combined with a rich and creamy cheese sauce for a meal that’s absolutely irresistible.
- Cook Pasta, Beef, Onion, and Jalapeños: Boil the elbow macaroni according to the package directions until al dente, drain, and set aside. In a large oven-safe skillet, brown ground beef, onion, and diced jalapeño over medium-high heat until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain any grease off and return the skillet to heat.
- Start the Sauce: Add the unsalted butter to the skillet and stir to melt. Whisk in the all-purpose flour to create a thick paste.
- Stir in Milk and Add-Ins: Slowly whisk in the whole milk, diced tomatoes with green chilies, black beans, and corn. Continue to stir and cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in Cheese and Seasonings: Add the shredded cheddar cheese, shredded pepper jack cheese, chili powder, salt, and pepper to the skillet, reduce to medium heat, stir, and cook until the cheese is melted in and everything is mixed well.
- Add Pasta: Add the cooked pasta to the skillet, stir to combine, and cook for a few minutes to allow the noodles to soak up some of the cheese sauce. Preheat the oven to broil on HIGH.
- Broil: Top the mac and cheese with shredded cheddar cheese. Broil on HIGH for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is just golden and bubbly. Remove and enjoy!
Customize Your Cowboy Mac and Cheese
There are plenty of ways to make this cowboy Mac and cheese your own! Whether you want to turn up the heat or swap out the cheese for a different variety, there are lots of simple tweaks you can make.
- Spice it up! Add more heat to this mac and cheese by adding additional diced jalapeños and/or chili powder, ½ teaspoon at a time.
- Can I switch up the cheese? You can use your favorite cheeses for this mac. I like the slight heat and flavor you get from the cheddar and pepper jack combination.
- Can I use a different pasta? I like classic elbow macaroni for my mac and cheese, but shells or bowties would also be great pasta to use!
- Do I have to use whole milk? I recommend whole milk, but you can use any percentage of milk. If you use less than whole-fat milk, it will result in less rich cheese sauce.
How to Store Leftovers Cowboy Mac & Cheese
This cowboy mac and cheese tastes fantastic the next day for lunch! Here is the best way to store it for later!
- In the Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- In the Freezer: Freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
More Delicious Cowboy Recipes
I have a wide variety of different cowboy-inspired recipes with a southwestern flair. They’re all about bold flavors, hearty ingredients, and a rustic, no-fuss approach to cooking. Here are some of my favs!
Cowboy Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
- ½ cup minced onion
- 1 whole seeded diced jalapeño
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup canned diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
- ½ cup drained black beans
- ½ cup drained corn
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese for topping
Instructions
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Cook the 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni according to the package directions until al dente, drain, and set aside.
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In a large oven-safe skillet, cook the ½ pound lean ground beef, ½ cup minced onion, and 1 whole seeded diced jalapeño over medium-high heat until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain any grease off and return the skillet to heat.
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Add the 3 tablespoons unsalted butter to the skillet and stir to melt. Whisk in the 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour to create a thick paste.
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Slowly whisk in the 2 ½ cups whole milk, ½ cup canned diced tomatoes with green chilies, ½ cup drained black beans, and ½ cup drained corn. Continue to stir and cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes.
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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, reduce the heat to medium, stir, and cook until the cheese is melted in and everything is mixed well.
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Add the cooked pasta to the skillet, stir to combine, and cook for a few minutes to allow the noodles to soak up some of the cheese sauce. Preheat the oven to broil on HIGH
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Top the mac and cheese with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese for topping and broil on HIGH for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is just golden and bubbly. Remove and enjoy!
