As Promised!

For my friend Kim:

Kim is a sweet lady at church who has been a wonderful help and inspiration to my "tween" daughter.  She's thoughtful, kind, and is a wonderful help to me in my Preschool choir class.  When she read the blog, she asked if I would share some recipes with ground beef, so Kim, this one's for you!

Southwest Chili Pasta Bake

1 lb. pkg. rigatoni or other tube pasta, cooked according to directions 

1 T melted butter
1/2 c. diced onion
1 lb. hamburger
1 pkg.  McCormick's Chili mix
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 c. water

4 T butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 c. flour
1 c. milk
1-1/2 c. grated cheese, divided (Whatever kind floats your boat.  I like to use a mixture of Cheddar & Pepper Jack)

Oven 350*

Cook pasta as directed on package.

While it is bubbling away, saute onion in the butter in a medium saucepan.  Add hamburger & brown.  Drain off excess fat.  Add in chili mix, tomatoes and water.  Cook on medium for 5 minutes, then turn to low.

In another saucepan, melt butter over high heat.  Add flour all at once, whisking to make a paste.  Cook at least 1 minute. (This gets rid of the raw flour taste)  Add milk, all at once, whisking to combine.  Continue whisking until a thin gravy consistency. Add in 1 cup of the cheese, whisking until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened.

Drain pasta, return to pan and add meat sauce.  In a greased 9x13 pan, pour in half of the pasta mixture and top with half the cheese sauce.  Repeat.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

A side salad with Southwest Ranch dressing and those tortilla strip salad topping thingies round the meal out great!


You can make your own Southwest Ranch dressing by adding a little bit of salsa to plain Ranch.  Yum!