Mexican hamburger helper

As I was driving home today, I was thinking about what I had planned for dinner.  Although homemade hamburger helper sounded appetizing, I wanted to jazz it up a little.  So I thought of what I could add and subtract from it to make it different from our usual.  I decided to add some taco seasoning, black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes.  Then I subtracted the ketchup and mustard.  I changed up the cheese also.  The end result was a semi-homerun for me.  The Wee One and Imaginative One ate at it but it was not a real winner.  Hubby gobbled his up.  He did not give any suggestions so I think it was a homerun for him.

Here's the orginal post:   homemade hamburger helper. 

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 lb of hamburger or ground turkey
• 1/2 cup of chopped onions
• 1 to 2 cups of pasta, cooked and drained (You can chose what kind of pasta you would like to use.)
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cup of cheese (For this I used a combo of Monterrey jack and cheddar.)
• 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning (Or more if you like it spicy!)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup black beans, drained
• 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained  (You can use chili ready if you want to make it spicier.)
• salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Brown the hamburger meat. When it's almost finished browning, add the onion.  Cook until they are translucent.  Drain and then set aside.  
2. Using the same pot you cooked the pasta in, melt the butter.  After the butter is melted, add the flour.  Cook for a minute or two.
3. Add the milk and then raise the heat. Stir until the butter/flour mixture is incorporated.
4. Let the milk mixture boil.  Take off the heat. 
5. Add the cheese and taco seasoning to the milk mixture.  Stir until the cheese is melted.
6. Add the hamburger, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn and pasta to the cheese sauce.  Stir until the hamburger, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn and pasta is covered in cheese sauce.
7. Enjoy!!

 This is great with crushed up tortilla chips on top.  Other toppings could include sour cream and salsa. 

I think if I had sour cream, this dish would have been a home run!

Happy eating,
Traci