Half of a bell pepper, any color, chopped (roughly 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/4-1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 (10 ounce) can of chicken, drained and cut into shreds with a fork
Instructions
Bring a large pan of water to a boil and cook pasta as directed. Drain when done.
While the pasta is cooking, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat everything. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Whisk in the wing/hot sauce, ranch, and cheese until the cheese has melted. Reduce the heat. Add the chicken and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat. Combine the sauce with the cooked pasta
Something that makes this recipe cost efficient is that it uses canned chicken. I know how that sounds, but it actually works very well and tastes great! Something else about this recipe that makes it great is that you can save a lot of it for left overs! Freezing and storing things will be helpful because you can eat this same material multiple nights in a row. Having a rich meal that can fill you up is something that so many college kids will love to have. If you live with roommates where you have one night to cook for the whole house this is something great to make. This is because it can be made of a lot of people and it will be a meal that everyone enjoys. If you and your roommates work together on buying food this is a very easy budget that can be split many ways and will become even more cost effective this way. Another thing that makes this recipe great is that it is a low budget meal that can be made in a food desert. Food deserts are defined by the USDA as parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers. Kalamazoo when put in the city area is considered a food desert. We have a few farmers markets around campus but we don't really know where the majority of them are. This is a great meal to have while living in a food desert. It might not have all of the categories in the food pyramid but it is still a cost effective meal that can keep in a freezer for a while.
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Half of a bell pepper, any color, chopped (roughly 1/4 cup)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4-1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce or hot sauce
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 (10 ounce) can of chicken, drained and cut into shreds with a fork
InstructionsSomething that makes this recipe cost efficient is that it uses canned chicken. I know how that sounds, but it actually works very well and tastes great! Something else about this recipe that makes it great is that you can save a lot of it for left overs! Freezing and storing things will be helpful because you can eat this same material multiple nights in a row. Having a rich meal that can fill you up is something that so many college kids will love to have. If you live with roommates where you have one night to cook for the whole house this is something great to make. This is because it can be made of a lot of people and it will be a meal that everyone enjoys. If you and your roommates work together on buying food this is a very easy budget that can be split many ways and will become even more cost effective this way.
Another thing that makes this recipe great is that it is a low budget meal that can be made in a food desert. Food deserts are defined by the USDA as parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers. Kalamazoo when put in the city area is considered a food desert. We have a few farmers markets around campus but we don't really know where the majority of them are. This is a great meal to have while living in a food desert. It might not have all of the categories in the food pyramid but it is still a cost effective meal that can keep in a freezer for a while.
Sarah Mead
Original recipe found at:
http://www.chocolatemoosey.com/2010/01/29/buffalo-chicken-mac-and-cheese/
USDA:
http://apps.ams.usda.gov/fooddeserts/foodDeserts.aspx