Fajita Mac & Cheese

Your boxed Mac and Cheese has been upgraded to a healthier version with the addition of fajita veggies. Enjoy a comforting bowl of this Fajita Mac and Cheese that’s delicious and easy to make! Perfect to make your weeknight meals in less than 30 minutes.

FAJITA MAC & CHEESE OVERVIEW

If you’re looking for ideas on making your boxed mac and cheese, then you’ll love this Fajita Mac and Cheese recipe! I’ve added a touch of ground meatless meat and fajitas to change up the typical boxed mac and cheese.

I figured you need to add some colorful veggies and the green and red peppers will do justice. We were getting bored and wanted some mexican flair. Of course, I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico where the hatch chiles dwell but it can get tiring after having them for awhile.

I always have a few boxes of mac and cheese in the pantry for quick meals when I’m lazy to make dinner for us. I did have a gluten free vegan box that I bought them from the sale isle at the grocery store and decided to use it. Every now and then, I try to stay away from dairy so my rosacea won’t flare up.

In our freezer, we keep frozen veggies too. That’s where I found some veggie fajita mix. This totally saved the day so I could make a quick and tasty dinner meal.

If you’re not feeling the fajitas mixed in, you may want to try my Queso Fresco Mac & Cheese. It’s another cheesy flavor with a touch of Mexican ingredients.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS FAJITA MAC AND CHEESE

• Basically, cause everyone loves mac and cheese for lunch or dinner!
• It’s quick and easy to make instead of making mac and cheese from scratch.
• You’re using frozen cut veggies so less prep time in cutting veggies.
• You’ll be using low sodium fajita seasonings adds more to the flavor.

THE MAC & CHEESE BREAKDOWN

• YOUR FAVORITE BOXED CHEDDAR MAC AND CHEESE – I used gluten free and dairy free
• GROUND MEAT – I used plant based meat here
• PLANT BASED MILK – or full fat milk
• SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE – or plant based cheese
• FROZEN ORGANIC FAJITA VEGGIE MIX – or use fresh ready cut fajita veggies
• LOW SODIUM FAJITA SEASONINGS – to cut the sodium down
• EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL – just to brown the meat

HOW TO MAKE FAJITA MAC & CHEESE

STEP 1

Brown meat in a large skillet and then drain excess liquid.

STEP 2

Add oil and fajita vegetables, fajita seasonings and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables begin to brown. Add to the browned meat and mix well. Set aside.

STEP 3

Add Macaroni, Cheese Sauce Mix, and milk then mix well. Bring to a boil; simmer on medium-low heat for 15 min.

You can mix the fajita mixture into the cooked mac and cheese. My family likes to have it separated cause some like more of the mixture or more of the mac and cheese and less of the fajita mixture.

STEP 4

Serve in a bowl and top with fajita mixture. Enjoy and devour!

DIET TRENDSETTERS SUBSTITUTIONS

CHOICE OF PROTEIN – I tend to use plant based meat but you can use lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken.

LOW CARB – They do have low carb boxed mac and cheese but I honestly have not tried. But use cauliflower florets! Keep the veggies going!

STORAGE

STORING – Store in an air tight container in the fridge up to 3 days.

FREEZER – Use a freezer safe container and can be stored up to 3 months. Just thaw in fridge before reheating.

REHEAT – Reheat in the microwave for a couple of minutes. If using the stove top, just dump in a sauce pot and reheat.