RECIPE: Chili Mac

I had completely forgotten about this recipe until last night when I just couldn't think of what to cook for dinner. I started looking through cookbooks, and I came across a cookbook that my kids' elementary school had put together in 2012. All of the kids were supposed to submit recipes, and then the recipes were turned into a cookbook for each kid to keep.

Out of curiosity, I looked for Noah's and Eli's recipes, and Noah's was for "Chili Mac". I hadn't made it in AGES, and I had the ingredients to make it, so I made it for dinner last night. It was really good! I think the thing that makes it slightly unique is the addition of the condensed tomato soup.

Anyway, "chili mac" is basically just macaroni noodles with some sort of chili on top. When I worked at Steak 'n' Shake in college, I used to love eating their chili mac! And this dish really reminds me of the Steak 'n' Shake Chili Mac.

Here is my (well, "Noah's") version of it.

Here is a printer-friendly version!


Chili Mac

Ingredients:

16 oz. macaroni noodles
2 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. minced garlic from a jar, or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder)
1 lb. lean ground turkey (or beef; my family prefers turkey)
1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (10 oz) can condensed tomato soup
1 (15 oz) can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the macaroni noodles per package directions.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and the ground turkey, stirring to break up the turkey. Increase heat to high and keep stirring until the turkey is browned.

Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the macaroni) and stir well to combine. Simmer on low until the pasta is done.

To serve, add some macaroni to a bowl, scoop some chili on top, and then add some cheddar cheese (and/or onions, sour cream, etc.) to top it off.