Week 37 - Nacho Cheese Beef Bake

Oh this looked soooo good on paper... The end result was disappointingly bland. I guess that's what I get when I try to use processed cheese soup as the main form of seasoning.

• 2 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (14-1/2 oz)
• 1 can (10-3/4oz) condensed nacho cheese soup, undiluted
• 1 can sliced black olives
• 1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• sour cream on the side

I found this recipe in the Taste of Home magazine. It needs more depth of flavor. The original recipe did not call for any spices whatsoever. This is very curious because it certainly needed. Even at the end of the day, the cheese flavor went missing in action. If I were to make this again, I would try including jalapeno peppers and try to spice it up with some Italian or Mexican-based spice combinations. I would also consider using a different type of cheese. Perhaps Velveeta would bring out the flavor that I was looking for? However, that is an insanely processed food. There probably isn't even any cheese in Velveeta... In general, I would like to limit the processed foods that I consume if at all possible. If I were to adhere to that goal, I think it kicks this recipe to the curb. The only other way to possible change up the cheese sauce would be to use a combination of cheeses such as cream cheese, cheddar, and a few other cheeses in somewhat of a thicker cream sauce. I am looking for any combination that emulsifies nicely. I would need to do a bit of research on this.

As written, I give this recipe 6 stars out of 10. It has potential but it is in need of some improvements. It was far too bland given the caloric load to even consider making on a frequent basis.