Western Trail Beef and Macaroni

From: Chef #481908

On Apr 11, 2007

This was pretty good. I liked the flavor. I would give it a 3 1/2 stars. I cut the recipe in half and I'm glad I did. We have 4 people in our family and we still had leftovers. Half the recipe could easily feed 6 people. I didn't put the water in there because it was really watery as it was. I also had to cook it longer so the liquid would drain. My 8 year old liked it, but my 5 year old didn't. I will make it again. It was very easy to make.

From: Ilysse

On Apr 4, 2007

The whole family loved this. I used puree in stead of the tomato sauce and I didn't add the extra water. I also used a mixed dried herb blend for the basil. I placed cheddar cheese on the table everyone but me liked it with the cheese. I served it with steamed veggies. A very easy, tasty meal that we all enjoyed. thanks for posting.

From: Bone Man

On Apr 16, 2007

Top stuff — very different from regular chili mac or Slumgullion (the chili powder makes it very southwestern-tasting). I tweaked it some by adding a chopped bell pepper in with the onion to tenderize at the same time, 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt, 1 Tablespoon of oregano and I doubled the macaroni. I didn't need to add water. Next time, instead of chili powder, I'll use Taco seasoning which has chili powder and also a thickening agent. I'll also add some drained pimientos, or maybe a chipotle with adobo. This is a recipe that will endure some modification but I would not recommend adding any non-tex-mex ingredients! Makes enough to feed a crowd. Great job, fuerein — thank you so much for posting it. We enjoyed it a lot!pat.