This hearty and creamy Mexican mac and cheese recipe is a quick and easy dinner ready in just 30 minutes! It combines tender macaroni, ground beef, spicy rotel, beans, corn, and lots of melty cheese for a flavorful Tex-Mex dinner. No one is leaving the table hungry after this easy dinner!
Why I Love Mexican Macaroni and Cheese
This Mexican macaroni is a nacho-and-mac and cheese fusion that doubles as an easy weeknight dinner and total comfort food. This 30-minute beefy mac and cheese recipe is loaded with Tex-Mex flavor and Velveeta goodness that makes each bite so addictive. You know those dinners that are super filling but also so good that you go back for more now matter how full you are? This is one of those! Check out why we’re so obsessed:
- Full of pantry-staples: Canned beans, Rotel, Velveeta, and canned chilis make this an effortless and budget friendly pasta dinner you can whip up at a moments notice!
- Quick and easy: If you can brown ground beef and stir together some ingredients, you will be enjoying a bowl of this cheesy protein-packed pasta goodness in just 30 minutes.
- Tex-Mex flavors: This mac and cheese has a Tex-Mex influence from tangy green chilies, southwestern style corn, a good hit of taco seasoning, two kinds of beans and spicy tomatoes!
Looking for more easy one-pot dinner recipes? Try our favorite cheesy one pot pasta dinner, this easy Italian sausage pasta, or this irresistible loaded potato soup!
Key Ingredients
This Mexican-inspired cheesy pasta dinner is packed with pantry-staples like canned beans and Rotel. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Elbow Macaroni: You can use regular-sized or mini macaroni.
- Ground Beef: It doesn’t matter what percentage of fat it has as long as you drain the excess fat.
- Rotel: These are brand-name canned tomatoes with green chilis. You can also use regular canned diced tomatoes, but I prefer Rotel for more flavor. Use hot or extra hot pump up the heat!
- Taco Seasoning: Try our homemade version!
- Southwest Street Corn: Use the frozen (thawed) or the canned kind, both work great. If using the canned version, make sure to drain it before adding it to the pot.
- Beans: I love black and pinto beans for this recipe, but you can use any kind of beans you like. Just make sure you fully drain the can before adding them.
- Velveeta Cheese: Mexican Velveeta is great too for even more flavor!
How To Make Taco Mac and Cheese
The trick to this Mexican mac and cheese is melting the cheese until completely smooth and silky. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
- Brown the beef: Cook the beef and onions in a pan until browned. Break it up with a spatula. Drain excess grease.
- Mix in the add-ins: Stir in the taco seasoning. Gently fold in the Rotel, green chilis, corn, and beans. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Make it melty: Mix the cheese into the mixture until completely melted. Fold in the macaroni.
- Serve: Remove it from the heat. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Cook’s Tips & Tricks
- Skip the Velveeta: If you don’t want to use Velveeta cheese, swap it for 2 to 3 cups of my homemade cheese sauce. You can also use 3 cups shredded cheddar.
- Change the protein: Ground pork, ground chicken, and ground turkey are great swaps for ground beef in this recipe. You could also use this spicy shredded chicken from our crockpot chicken tacos recipe!
- Make it spicy: Drizzle the mac and cheese with hot sauce or sprinkle it with red pepper flakes for an extra layer of heat when serving. If you want it extra spicy throughout, use the hot or extra hot versions of Rotel.
- Swap the pasta: Use bow tie, fusilli, penne, ziti, or rigatoni pasta instead of elbow macaroni for an easy variation.
Topping Ideas
- Sour cream: Mexican crema works too.
- Tomatoes: They can be fresh or canned diced tomatoes.
- Fresh cilantro: Avoid yellow or brown stems because they’re bitter.
- Bacon: Crumbled bacon or Mexican chicharron add great texture.
- Red onion: You can also use white onion or shallots.
- Jalapeños: They can be fresh or pickled chilis.
- Guacamole: Feel free to use sliced avocado instead.
Mexican Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 oz elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
- 1 lb lean ground beef, or ground turkey
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 (10.5 oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes, do not drain
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles, chopped green chiles
- 1 (15 oz) bag frozen southwest street corn, or a can of southwest corn, drained
- 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (16 oz) block Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break the meat apart as it cooks. If using a fattier cut of ground meat, drain the excess grease after cooking, if needed.
- Add the Rotel and taco seasoning and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Then add the green chiles, corn, pinto and black beans simmer for 5 minutes more.
- Stir in the cubed Velveeta cheese and cook, continuing to stir, over low heat until the cheese is melted and hot.
- Add in the cooked macaroni and stir until everything is well combined. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
We made this last night, it was so cheesy and yummy
We made this last night, it is so good and cheesy and yummy, thanks for the recipe