This queso mac and cheese is super easy to make, picky eater approved, and loaded with 27 grams of protein per serving thanks to a chipotle seasoned ground beef. Pair it with a side salad, roasted vegetables, or just an extra serving or two and everyone will be full and happy. And this dish reheats really well, making it a great recipe to double for meal prep!
I’ll run you through the recipe below and cover ingredient substitutions as we go. You’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1: Cook Banza elbows or your choice of pasta in salted water.
Banza makes chickpea based pasta that’s gluten free and a bit higher in protein. It is one of my go-to pasta substitutes, and I’ve used it in recipes like my BBQ chicken mac n cheese and cajun sausage pasta bake. You may also like the Goodles that I used in my green chile ground beef mac n cheese and Crockpot beef chili mac.
Two tips for cooking the pasta for your queso mac and cheese:
- Cook the pasta for about 4-5 minutes and let the time in the queso ground beef finish it off. This will prevent overcooking the pasta.
- If you start the pasta right before cooking the beef, the timing should be perfect. If you for whatever reason get sidetracked and need to drain the pasta before the beef is ready, drizzle a little oil over the drained pasta to prevent sticking once it cools.
Step 2: Cook extra lean ground beef with a chipotle pepper spice blend.
I know you’re wondering, so yes, you can probably skip the olive oil if you use a nonstick skillet. That would save some calories for more cheese to partially makeup for the lost flavor from cooking the beef and spices in oil.
The only other ingredient notes I have here would be on the white pepper and kosher salt. If all you have is black pepper on hand, that’s perfectly fine. And if you’re using table salt instead of kosher, cut the amount in half.
If you’re new to my recipes and have never heard my spiel about allowing your ground beef to develop a crust before fully cooking, check out my sweet chili ground beef or hamburger steak recipes to learn more about cooking ground beef like a pro.
Step 3: Add hot sauce to the cooked ground beef.
Since the recipe calls for ground chipotle chili powder, it only makes sense to stick to the chipotle theme with hot sauce. But if you have trouble locating this blend of Cholula, any hot sauce will do. The hot sauce is in the recipe to both deglaze the pan (help you scrape off any crispy bits stuck to the pan) and add flavor. So keep it in!
If you wanted to really up the spice level, though, you could use canned chipotles in adobo like in my chipotle beef sweet potato nachos or milder diced green chiles like in my green chile mac and cheese with chicken.
Step 4: Add queso to the ground beef.
Trader Joe’s queso is kind of a magical ingredient that has 165 calories per jar. If you’re making a shopping run, you’ll want to grab an extra jar for my queso mac and cheese with ground beef.
That said, you can use any jarred queso for your mac and cheese, but you’ll need to adjust the nutrition information slightly. Also, there’s always the option to make your own cheese sauce like in my chicken bacon ranch mac and cheese or cajun mac and cheese recipes.
Bonus tip: If you want extra cheesy queso mac and cheese, you could try extending the queso by mixing it with a bit of chicken broth like in my chicken fajita pasta bake.
Step 5: Add cooked pasta to the queso and ground beef.
Be gentle folding everything together. Even if you slightly under cook, sometimes chickpea pasta can be a delicate flower.
Step 6 (optional): Top with your choice of cheese and broil to melt.
In the photo above, you’re looking at shaved cheddar with crushed chipotle pepper on top before broiling. The recipe calls for monterey jack, however, since it’s much better for melting. You can skip this step, but it’s a grate idea not to.
Well, that’s it. In case I missed anything about this queso mac and cheese, you can ask a question in the comments below or join my free Facebook group to get some help from the 12,000+ home cooks there. And when you try this recipe, don’t forget to come back and let me know how it turned out!
Queso Mac and Cheese with Spicy Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef, 96/4
- 1 Tbsp 16g Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Ground Chipotle Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp White Pepper, or black pepper
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 C 60g Chipotle Cholula Hot Sauce (or your choice of hot sauce)
- 8 oz Banza Pasta Elbows
- 12 oz jar Queso Dip, I used Trader Joe’s
- 3/4 C 84g Shredded Monterey Jack, optional topping
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil to cook the pasta. Cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes less than instructed on its packaging.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add the ground beef.
- Mix the spices in a small bowl and add to the top of the ground beef. Stir the ground beef and continue cooking until no pink remains.
- Add the chipotle Cholula and cook until no liquid remains, about 30 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the queso. Stir to fully incorporate before adding the cooked pasta.
- Top with cheese and place under a high broil in your oven for 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese. (Or you could stir in the cheese with the queso before adding the cooked pasta.) Top with crushed chipotle peppers and fresh cilantro, if desired.
Oh man, my family LOVE LOVE LOVES this recipe! For me it is reminiscent of my childhood days where I would pray for leftover taco meat just so I could mix it in with some mac n cheese (except this is a very spicy version! ) I used medium queso, Frank’s Red Hot, and shredded monterey jack. I sprinkled cilantro and crushed chipotle peppers on top after broiling. We had it for dinner last night and I’m not a bit ashamed to admit we had it for breakfast this morning! Yummmmmm
I made this as part of my meal prep this week! I used Barilla Protein Pasta and also shoved a ton of veggies (onion, celery, carrot, and broccoli) in after cooking the ground beef. I had to add some extra broth to make the queso sauce stretch further, but no worries – turned out great. The spice definitely builds as you eat it. Will be making it again!
This was my second Mason recipe I tried with Banza pasta and it didn’t disappoint. I was craving a loaded mac & cheese and this hit the spot! Plus the macros made it easy to fit into my daily allotment. Thanks for highlighting TJ’s queso Mason- it’s now a staple in my cupboard!
Love, love the pasta recipes. It’s very filling and great for leftovers.
I made this last night and it was a crowd pleaser! Your recipes have the best combinations of spices, which always make a great flavor. My teenagers thought it was a little too spicy but I was heavy handed with the hot sauce. Next time, I might just put it in each individual bowl. Thanks again for another great recipe!
My husband and I are both obsessed with this recipe! It is so incredible flavorful. It has become a staple in our house. All of Mason’s recipes are fantastic, but I think this one is our favorite. You would never know that this meal is macro friendly.
Thanks, Julianna! It’s one of my favorites as well.
This definitely gave me Hamburger Helper vibes when I first saw the recipe. I lived on that stuff as a kid. But man, this is so much better. I made a few modifications:
For one serving I did 2 oz of Barilla – I love my pasta. I only did a dash of hot sauce (I used Franks Red) because I can only handle so much heat. I also used Tostitos Salsa Con Queso because I only make it to Trader Joe’s once a month. Lastly I did 4 oz of 96/4 ground beef, since I increased the amount of pasta. The macros were great even with the substitutions (51C 14F 38P).
This will definitely be on rotation – especially because it’s an easy one to prep and reheat.
This recipe is quick, simple, and absolutely delicious. It’s good enough that I meal prepped it and I’ve eaten it for the past five nights. I look forward to it every night. So yummy! I substituted the Cholula hot sauce for Tabasco Rocoto, and it worked perfectly. Great recipe!
I made this recipe (and many times since) and it’s awesome! I used TJ’s Spicy Taco Sauce instead of regular hot sauce and it turned out great! Also, if you need an easy recipe for meal planning, this is it. Mason also makes tracking so simple and straightforward by being kind enough to list the macros abs serving sizes. Aside from his amazing tasting recipes, it’s the reason why his site will always be one of my favorites! Thanks for all your hard work Mason!
Less spice! It’s was good but really hot! Would only do half the hot sauce!