Texi Mexi Wacky Mac

Friday, May 07, 2010

I need to add Wacky Mac to my list of favorite store bought items. Wacky Mac is really great because it is a mixture of pasta in fun shapes and colors, made with ingredients you can pronounce (and the colorful pasta comes from vegetable juice, NOT artificial colorings)! Last night I made what I call "Texi Mexi Wacky Mac." This is something I make fairly often, as Daniel loves it. Last night he ate three helpings! The best part about this meal is it takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish!


Texi Mexi Wacky Mac

  • 1 lb ground meat (as always, I used turkey but you can use whatever ground meat you like)
  • 1 package Wacky Mac (or other small pasta such as wagon wheels or spirals)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup chunky salsa
  • 1 (14 oz) can black beans
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (I use light sour cream)
  • 1 cup pureed cauliflower or squash (I used cauliflower last night but sometimes I use squash - it just depends on what I have on hand).
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (optional- we are huge fans of cheese in our house, as you know).
Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, cook onion, garlic, bell pepper and ground meat about 7 minutes or until meat is browned and the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes, the salsa, the beans, and the pureed cauliflower and stir together. Cook another 5-10 minutes or until well heated. Taste and season accordingly. Add the cooked pasta to the meat and veggie mixture and stir to make sure pasta is completely coated. Add the sour cream (and cheese if you are using it) and mix well. Serve with your favorite vegetable(ours, as you well know, is broccoli) and a dollop of sour cream (Daniel LOVES sour cream, he would easily eat the entire tub as is, if I let him).

This makes a TON of food, so I usually create what I call lunch packets and stick them in the freezer. This is just enough for one or two servings that we can have for lunch or a light dinner.

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Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking!


5 comments:

Unknown said...

Super yummy!!! Still need someone to give a wacky mac to?? I don't know if we have it here, but i don't remember seeing it in the stores

Unknown said...

Yep the giveaway is still going on, just comment on the giveaway post.

Bailey said...

Quick question-- I have a food saver but I never do liquidy stuff b/c it will go into the machine- how did you do these lunchpackets with the tex mex meal?? I can never do lasagna, casserole, etc. b/c I'm afraid of it sucking it up.

Unknown said...

Bailey, thank you for your question! Sometimes the liquid does go into the vacuum chamber, on mine I can remove it and clean it out. The other thing I do is seal on the "fast and moist" setting. On the moist setting it doesn't draw up as much moisture. I also seal with the bag hanging off the counter and give a good amount of room at the top for sealing. The other thing I do sometimes is put it in the foodsaver bag and then freeze it for like an hour before I seal it. This freezes the "juices" out of the food and then it seals cleaner. Hope this helps!

Bailey said...

Good idea, with the freezing it for an hour thing. I love my F.S. It has changed my life. I also do the same as you with little packs of roasted chichen that I add to chicken quesidillas, ceaser salad, chicken salad etc. I haven't seen you use much of it, but my hubby LOVES brown rice (me, not so much). So, I cook a pot of about 6 cups of rice and portion it off in 1 or 2 serving portions and F.S. it. It is soooo easy with fish (or I served it with your orange chicken) just to pop 1 or 2 bags into the microwave. Thought I would let you know (but I'm sure you already did!)! Thanks for all the great recipes!!

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