Chili Mac (Cooking Light)

pattikay in L.A.'s Note:

Another chili mac recipe - this one is from Cooking Light's Best of 10 Years. It was an instant hit with everyone in my family.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped green pepper
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• 2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 (15 ¼ ounce) can kidney beans
• 1 (14 ½ ounce) can chopped tomatoes , undrained
• 1 (8 ¾ ounce) can corn , drained (I used frozen)
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or 1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese or 1 cup monterey jack cheese

Directions:

1. Cook first 4 ingredients in a dutch oven over medium high heat till meat is browned, stirring until meat crumbles.
2. Drain well and wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel (if your beef is lean enough, you won't really need to do this).
3. Return beef to dutch oven; add macaroni and next 10 ingredients.
4. stir well.
5. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat.
6. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Spoon into individual serving bowls.
8. Sprinkle 2 T cheese over each serving.

Reviews

[jess21]

Easy, fast, and tasty. I added a bit of hot sauce and doubled the cheese. Mixed most of the cheese right in and then baked into a casserole with more cheese on top... mmm, cheese!

[Kellie in SLO]

My 16 year old son cooked this for dinner last night, and we both really enjoyed it. It was easy for him to put together and the flavors blended really well together. He did leave out the green pepper as neither one of us care for green peppers, and reduced the amount of chili powder as the only kind we have on hand is a medium hot variety. We are looking forward to the leftovers for lunch today

[KitchenDaddy]

This was great! We had this for dinner this evening and we doubled it because my wife didn't think it would make very much. Was she ever wrong! We had a very large stock pot full! Just the right amount of spices. Based on other reviews I cooked the pasta very al dente and it came out perfect. Had with cheesy garlic bread, Will definitely be having this again. Thanks for posting.