Baked Chili Mac

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (we use mission lower-carb macaroni)
• 1 lb lean ground beef or 1 lb ground buffalo meat or 1 lb ground chicken or 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
• 1 (14 -15 ounce) can chopped peeled tomatoes, with juice
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (7 ounce) can chopped mild green chilies, with liquid
• 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans or 1 (15 ounce) can black beans or 1 (15 ounce) can black soybeans, drained
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried ancho chile powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• tabasco sauce, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 2 cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente (if using regular macaroni this will take about 6 to 7 minutes, if using lower-carb versions it'll take about 15 minutes); drain and set aside.
• 3 while pasta is cooking, in a large sauté pan cook the ground meat, onion, and garlic until meat is browned, about 5 to 7 minutes; drain fat if desired or necessary.
• 4 add the tomatoes, tomato paste, mild green chiles, beans, chili powder, ancho, oregano, cumin, pepper, salt, and tabasco (to taste) and simmer for 5 minutes.
• 5 add the cooked macaroni and stir well to incorporate.
• 6 pour mixture into a lightly pan-sprayed large casserole dish and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
• 7 bake at 350 degrees f for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
• 8 serve with a bit of sour cream for topping and veggies.