Mexican Casserole

From: Southern Living 1992 cookbook

Ingredients:

1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 15-oz can Mexican-style chili beans, undrained
1 10-oz can enchilada sauce
2-3 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup corn chips, crushed

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet until meat is browned, stirring to crumble meat; drain well.

Stir in macaroni, chili beans, and next 4 ingredients; spoon into a greased 2-quart casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes; sprinkle with cheese, and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Sprinkle corn chips on top.

What we did differently:
I didn't put the entire can of beans in, or the enchilada sauce, or the full amount of chili powder. I know my family doesn't do too much spicy, so I didn't want to blow them out of the water! I also only did Fritos on half the casserole, as you can see. Two of us like Fritos, and the others wanted plain casserole with a side of tortilla chips.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I will admit I didn't LOVE the macaroni texture, but my husband did. I did love the mix of flavors and it wasn't too spicy at all. I ate the leftovers today and it was actually tastier today than last night, I think. I would make this again but maybe even sprinkle on some shredded lettuce and pico de gallo at the very end.