Southwest Mac and Cheese

Boxed mac and cheese always makes me feel nostalgic because growing up if we were having mac and cheese it was Kraft. Now we have so many amazing alternatives and I recently fell in love with the Banza mac and cheese. It's great as is, but with a few more simple ingredients you can transform any boxed mac and cheese into something exciting and new! This is another semi-homemade recipe for a quick meal thats packed with flavor.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 5.5oz box Banza Mac and Cheese
1/4 cup unsweetened original almond milk
1/4 cup Rotel diced tomatoes with green chillies
1/2 tablespoon 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese
1/2 tablespoon cajun seasoning
4 oz raw shrimp, deveined, tail off
Chili powder, paprika, and garlic powder to taste

Instructions

1. Boil a large pot of water and cook the macaroni as per the box directions. I usually cook it 2 minutes less than the directions, because I like it al dente.

2. While the pasta is cooking, season the shrimp with the cajun seasoning.

3. Heat a pan on medium-low heat and cook your shrimp for 2 minutes on one side. Flip the shrimp over and cook for 1 more minute then set it aside.

4. Once the pasta is finished cooking, strain it and add it back to your hot pot.

5. Add the cheese packet that comes with the mac and cheese, the almond milk, cream cheese, and Rotel tomatoes. Mix everything well to fully combine.

6. Sprinkle in the chili powder, paprika and garlic powder and taste to check if its seasoned the way you like it.

7. Lastly add in your shrimp with all of the juices, give the mac and cheese one final stir and enjoy!

Nutritional Information: (Per Serving)

Serving Size: 1/2 of the recipe

Calories: 373 calories

Total Fat: 11.7 g

Cholesterol: 111.3 mg

Sodium: 1333.1 mg

Total Carbs: 39.9 g

Fiber: 5.6 g

Sugar: 8.8 g

Added Sugars: 0 g

Protein: 31.4 g

Key words: southwest recipe, mac and cheese, shrimp, semi homemade, easy recipe, weeknight dinner, gluten free mac and cheese, gluten free recipe.