Ok, I just tasted it and I think it came out pretty much 'good' for the first attempt. Here's the recipe:
At your local super market, check the Mexican food section for a packet of nacho cheese sauce (its usually small and a powder). If you can't find it, then you can get the one by the "hamburger helper" company. The box looks
like this and comes with the pasta too. I basically followed the instructions they gave at the back of that box with a few additions by myself. Here's how it goes:
What you Need:
1 lb ground meat. Can be beef, turkey, chicken. I used lamb.
A little bit of oil.
Half an onion. Slice it in thin strips.
2/3 cup of hot water.
2 cups of milk.
The pasta. The macaroni/cheese style ones were the ones I used. You can use around a cup to a cup and a half of them. (They get bigger by the time everything's cooked).
Personal additions: A can of either black beans or red kidney beans (15.5 oz). 1 or 1/2 Red pepper (diced or sliced, up to you, I prefer diced). 1 or 2 Jalapenos if you're into really spicy. And a couple slices of cheddar cheese if you want extra-cheese on top.
What to do:
1) Pour the oil on the pan and warm it. Throw in the onions and wait until they're a bit brownish. Then throw in the ground meat. Let it brown. Make sure you keep an eye on it because the meat will tend to stick the pan.
2) After the meat has browned, pour in the 2/3 cups of hot water, the 2 cups of milk, and packet of the nacho cheese sauce. (If its the 'Hamburger helper' one, add it all, otherwise pay attention to what it says on the packet & add it accordingly.) Then add the
UNcooked pasta. Mix everything together. It should all be a liquid at the moment like a semi-thick sauce.
4) Then add in the black/red beans, the red pepper and jalapeno. Mix everything.
5) Bring it to a boil and stir it occasionally as the temperature is rising. You should notice that its thickened a tiny bit.
6) Then lower the heat after its been boiling for like 3-5 minutes. Cover and let it simmer on low heat for 14-15 minutes. If you've gotten the correct sauce, then realize that the cheese in it will stick to the bottom of the pan so you're going to have to stir it a couple times during the simmer time. During this time the uncooked pasta should have gotten softer and bigger and more pasta-like
7) After the 15 minutes, it should have almost dried up and be mostly thick. At this point, take it off the heat and let it sit like that for a while. Again, if you've been able to get the right sauce, it should thicken further by itself as it cools. You can either add the slices of cheese as soon as you take it off the heat or give it around 3-4 minutes. Then wait for around 15 minutes or until the pasta has thickened and you can finally eat!
hew
