Hearty Macaroni Casserole

I just made this for dinner and it was SO GOOD that I had to post it right away! Found this in my Taste of Home magazine. :) First, I'll post the recipe as printed and then I'll add my adjustments.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) macaroni and cheese dinner mix
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup French-fried onions

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper, and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to the prepared macaroni. Stir in tomatoes.

Divide half of the mixture into a greased 3 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded cheese. Add the other half of the mixture and cover with second cup of cheese. Top with french-fried onions. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

In an effort to make this dish healthier, I used 99% fat free ground turkey (cooked with a tsp. of fresh garlic, a tsp. of chili powder, 1/2 tsp. of cumin, and a 1/2 tsp. of paprika--since ground turkey tends to be pretty bland, instead of beef. I used Velveeta Shells & Cheese made with 2% milk. I probably only needed between 1 and 1.5 cups of the shredded cheese to cover adequately. We loved it! Next time I might hide a little more veggies in there too. :)