Burgoo

Every so often, as a treat to ourselves, I make my husband and I a little dish I like to call "Burgoo".  Inspired by those Hamburger Helper meals I had when I was a kid, but kicked up a few notches and spiced, this is DEFINITELY not good for your waistline!

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger (I usually go with lean meat, but this is entirely a preference)
1 onion, roughly diced
1 bell pepper (red or orange), roughly diced
1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes
Pepper flakes*
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 package macaroni, cooked

Directions:

Get your macaroni cooking right off the bat: it doesn't take long to make everything else.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.

Brown your hamburger meat, then toss in the bell pepper and onion (yes, with the grease and everything) and saute until the onions and slightly see-through.  Add in tomatoes and add pepper flakes to taste at this point.  Keep in mind that the cheese will muffle the heat a bit.  Stir until the cheese is fully melted.

Put all your macaroni in a large baking dish and pour the burger mixture on top.  Mix as well as you can and bake for 30-40 minutes (you want bubbles, but not burning)

Enjoy!

*Russ and I have developed a deep love for Ghost Pepper flakes in this recipe, but there's no need to be so hard-core.