Mexican Macaroni

My grandmother was into latin fusion cuisine long before anyone ever heard of the word mashup. There is no better word to describe this family recipe that my Mamá Irene created. Mexican Macaroni. The delicious tomatoey, cheesy, spicy mashup of fideo and the all-american favorite…macaroni.

This time, you start not with frying the onion (which is a unusual twist). You start with toasting the macaroni in a little oil until it is lightly golden.  Then, you add the chopped onion and spices, and toast them together until the onion is translucent, and the spices are fragrant, about five minutes.

Note: Throughout these steps, make sure you keep moving the pasta around so that it doesn’t burn. Even though you should be cooking at a typical medium heat, the pasta will scorch if not watched.

When the macaroni is a nice golden color, add the tomato sauce and broth. Mix and cover until the liquid is absorbed, and the macaroni is the right tenderness you want.

Add shredded cheese and mix together. Add a little more broth if you want it with a little more sauce.

Serving Suggestions

We serve Mexican Macaroni as a main dish and sometimes serve a veggie on the side.

• Calabasitas con Queso
• Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken

You Might Like These Too!

• Fideo
• Mexican Rice

Mexican Macaroni

Elbow macaroni is toasted with onions and then simmered in chicken stock and tomato sauce until tender, then topped with chedder cheese to make for a tomato-y macaroni that is easy to make and delicious.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 6

Author: Four to Cook for

Equipment

• Skillet

Ingredients

• 5 cups large elbow macaroni about 1 lb pasta
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 10 ounces canned tomato sauce
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups shredded mexican cheese

Instructions

• In a skillet, heat oil and toast the elbow macaroni until it is golden.
• Add chopped onion and cook until onion is translucent.
• Add the spices and dry cook.
• When macaroni is nice and golden, add two cups of chicken broth and the can of tomato sauce. Mix together and cover.
• Simmer for about 5 minutes, lifting the lid and stirring, checking the tenderness of the macaroni.
• Keep adding the remaining 1.5 cups of broth until you get the macaroni to the desired tenderness (al dente). The macaroni should still look moist. Add a little more broth if it doesn't.
• Add the shredded cheese and mix together. You want the pasta to be a little moist because it helps with the mixing and melting of the cheese. You can still add a bit of stock to make the mixture saucy, and at this point, you can even add more cheese if you want it super cheesy.

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