If you’re looking for gluten free recipes, you won’t find them here, sorry. In this house, we eat everything. My middle daughter is turning 15 tomorrow & she requested Tex Mex Mac & Cheese. It’s a family fav.

Side Note: I can’t believe my Middlest Little Beebee will be 15 years old! Where has the time gone??!

Back to dinner…. When you begin, there will be 3 pots/pans on the stove: One large pot for pasta, one large saucepan for the meat, one small saucepan for the roux that will become the cheese sauce. Start by setting the large pot of water on high heat for the pasta (cover with a lid for faster boiling). Then you can start browning the meat in the large saucepan. Using a med-low heat, add the meat to the pan & break it up with a fork. I have a favorite 2-prong fork that is made of plastic so the non-stick coating isn’t damaged while I break up the meat during cooking. Also, there’s no need to add any oil to the pan because mostly all ground meats have enough fat. I used ground turkey but you can use ground beef if you prefer. Sprinkle with your favorite taco seasoning over the top. If using the popular envelope taco seasoning, use the whole thing. If using a bottled version, be generous.

Cook until no longer pink, drain in a colander & then set aside.

Now it’s time to make a roux! It’s easy – don’t be overwhelmed. Just know it will take a good 10 minutes of constant whisking. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to a saucepan & melt over low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of flour. Whisk until completely incorporated & smooth. (When the butter & flour are completely incorporated, dump the pasta in it’s boiling water & set the timer. Mine called for 11 minutes. No need to add salt to the boiling water with the pasta – there is salt in the butter, the cheese, the taco seasoning & the salsa.) Now continue with your roux:

Add 1 cup of half & half mixed with one cup of whole milk. Turn up the heat to med-high & whisk constantly. After about 5 minutes or so, you’ll feel it getting thicker. Let it come to a boil. Boil & stir for one full minute.

By now the pasta-cook time should be up (my roux & pasta timer were done at the same time). Turn the heat off both the pasta & the roux. Take the roux off the heat & add the shredded cheeses. I used a little pepper jack, some medium cheddar, and a smidgen of mozzerella (because there was a tiny bit of leftover that needed to be used up). Drain the pasta.

To the cheese sauce, add a can of tomato sauce. I use an organic version that I love. Whisk until completely incorporated. I also added a sprinkle of garlic pepper seasoning. It should look like this:

Now you can mix everything together. Into the pasta pot, add the cooked (& drained) pasta, tomato cheese sauce, ground meat, and 1 cup of your favorite salsa. Stir until combined.

Spray a 13 x 9 casserole dish the cooking spray. Add the contents of the pot. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

Cook at 350 on the middle rack for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly & edges are slightly browned. Serve with fresh avocado, caesar salad & garlic bread.