Description
A comforting dish with tender pasta and juicy ground beef in a creamy cheese sauce, featuring a delightful kick from Rotel tomatoes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (450g) ground beef
- 2 cups (200g) uncooked rotini pasta
- 1 can (10 oz/283g) Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 cup (240ml) beef broth or water
- 1½ cups (180g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 oz (115g) cream cheese, cubed
- ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil (if needed)
- 1 tsp paprika or taco seasoning (optional)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: chopped parsley, sliced green onions, extra shredded cheese
Instructions
- Cook the rotini pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking it up as it cooks.
- If the skillet looks dry, add olive oil and sauté the diced onion for 3-4 minutes; add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Stir in the Rotel tomatoes and beef broth, bringing the mixture to a simmer.
- Add the cream cheese and heavy cream, stirring until the sauce is smooth and all cheese is melted.
- Combine the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce, stirring in shredded cheddar until evenly blended.
- Let simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes, adjust seasoning, and garnish as desired before serving.
Notes
For a lighter version, substitute ground beef with turkey or chicken and cheddar with pepper jack cheese.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 85mg