Southwest Cheeseburger Mac

Dinnertime got you in a panic? Are you short on time or just don’t feel like cooking? This Southwest Cheeseburger Mac is quick and easy – but more importantly, delicious – thanks to VELVEETA Cheesy Skillets! #VELVEETA #WhatMySkilletIsFor #ad

Southwest Cheeseburger Mac with VELVEETA Cheesy Skillets #WhatMySkilletIsFor

I have been selected by Kraft Foods to be a spokesperson for VELVEETA Cheesy Skillets. While I have been compensated for my time, my opinions are my own. 

As a food blogger, my mind is constantly thinking of new recipes or ways to tweak old ones. Seriously, it never shuts off. Most of the time, that works to my advantage because it gives me plenty of things to blog about! 🙂 My family will tell you that we rarely have the same thing twice …. and if we do, it’s always with a new twist. There are a few exceptions, of course. But mostly, it’s true. And if we do have it twice, I can tell you when we last had it by the date of the blog post!!! No joke. I know some of the food bloggers reading this are like, “girl … that is so me!!” It’s in our food blogger nature and it’s what we’re passionate about, we just can’t help it. 

Keeping it real though …. sometimes I cheat. Yep. I take shortcuts. On a rare occasion, I even feed my kids cereal for breakfast! *gasp* Some days, I don’t feel like cooking at all …. it happens to all of us. Even food bloggers. 

The Velveeta story

I heard this story a few weeks ago that I thought was absolute genius. Y’all know those online auction sites? They always have soooo many things for sale. I mean, you can buy almost anything in an online auction ….. dachshund condiment trays, old spark plugs and even parrot-topped lava lamps. So here’s the story … VELVEETA – you know, the Liquid Gold cheese people …. noticed that among all of this stuff on the online auction sites, there were also thousands of skillets listed too. Obviously, the sellers must not have known or may have forgotten what their skillets are for. So what does VELVEETA do? You guessed it! They bought more than 1,000 of these skillets and sent them back to the sellers with a box of VELVEETA Cheesy Skillets (and some other cool swag) to show these sellers what their skillets are for – VELVEETA Cheesy Skillets!! Isn’t that the greatest thing?! 

When I heard about VELVEETA’s story, I was slightly amused at the thought of these people getting their skillets back and I had to wonder how many people they told of this awesome marketing job!! You know all of their friends and family heard about it! They even took to Facebook and Twitter to tell VELVEETA how much they enjoyed getting their skillets back! EPIC!! VELVEETA knew that once people realized what their skillets are for, they’d be more than happy to get their skillet back and share the news with people!

Velveeta #WhatMySkilletIsFor

This story stuck with me. On those days when I don’t feel like cooking, I remember #WhatMySkilletIsFor – and I make a pan of VELVEETA Cheesy Skillets. Being a food blogger, y’all know it’s hard for me to leave things alone – I do tend to put my own spin on things. Today, I’ll be sharing one of those spins in my Southwest Cheeseburger Mac. It’s still just as simple to make as the regular way since we’re only adding a few cans and some extra seasoning. It’s perfect for a busy night and it’s a dish the family will love!

I am looking forward to trying the VELVEETA Cheesy Skillet – Chicken Parmesan next! It’s a new flavor – so be sure to look for it on your next shopping trip! You can see more product information and a list of varieties with the VELVEETA Facebook App.

You’re going to start off by browning and crumbling your ground beef. I like to drain mine even if it’s really lean beef. I also rinse my beef too – does anyone else do that?

To that, we’re going to add the ingredients listed on the box, some tomatoes, black beans and taco seasoning. Let it do its thing on the stove while you prepare a salad or veggie. Now is a great time to chop some cilantro for the garnish too!

Liquid Gold, baby! Pour that awesome creamy VELVEETA cheese sauce into the pan … and give it a stir. Although you may be tempted to chug the VELVEETA cheese sauce instead of adding it to the pan – don’t do it. 😉 

Serve your Cheesy Skillet with sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro. Dinner is ready!

Velveeta Cheesy Skillets

VELVEETA Cheesy Skillets are premium dinner kits that offer consumers delicious and easy dinnertime solutions that will make your family smile! My family loved this Southwest Cheeseburger Mac – and I loved how quick and easy it is! Wield your skillets and forge the family dinner with the Liquid Gold of VELVEETA. Never forget that with just a skillet and some ground beef, chicken or tuna, you can smite a meal that will solder your family together, forever!

You have the chance to win your very own skillet and two boxes of VELVEETA Cheesy Skillets.

Other recipes you may enjoy

• Fiesta Mac & Cheese
• Cheesy Chicken Broccoli & Rice Skillet
• Margarita Chicken Tacos
• Spicy Cheeseburger Soup
• Quick and Easy Chicken Fried Rice

Southwest Cheeseburger Mac

Jamie Sherman

This Southwest Cheeseburger Mac is quick and easy – but more importantly, delicious – thanks to VELVEETA Cheesy Skillets!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Pizza and Pasta

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 296 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 box VELVEETA Cheesy Skillets Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac plus ingredients listed on box 12.8 oz.
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 15 oz.
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained 10 oz.
• 3 Tablespoons about half of a 1.25 oz. packet taco seasoning (or use my homemade mix!)
• Sour cream and sliced tomatoes for serving
• Cilantro for garnish

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Instructions

 

• Brown and crumble ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain if necessary.
• Add 2 cups water, the seasoning from the box, pasta, black beans, tomatoes and taco seasoning. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer, stirring often, until most of the water is gone (about 10-12 minutes). Remove from the heat.
• Add the VELVEETA Cheese Sauce Pouch. Stir in the cheese sauce.
  
• Top individual portions with sour cream, sliced tomatoes and cilantro, if desired.

Notes

• You can customize this to your liking by using different flavors of macaroni or tomatoes without chiles.

Nutrition

Calories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 25gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 691mgPotassium: 676mgFiber: 6gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 200IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 102mgIron: 5mg

Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary significantly between brands. Always be sure to read labels. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Likewise, recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published on June 27, 2014. Updated on April 29, 2021.