One Pot Chili Mac & Cheese

By Malooga

In this amazing dish, piles of pasta and cheese are taken to a whole new level with ground beef, spices, kidney beans and fresh chilies. Plus, it’s all made in one pan!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil;
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped;
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced;
• 1 pound ground beef;
• 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped;
• 2 tablespoon tomato puree;
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes;
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika;
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger;
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin;
• 1 teaspoon chipotle paste;
• 2 red chilies, deseeded and chopped;
• 10 1/2 ounces dry macaroni pasta;
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock;
• 1 x 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes;
• 1 x 14-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed;
• 2 cups shredded mixed cheese (we used white and orange cheddar);
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped;
• Sour cream to serve.

Details

Servings 5
Adapted from news.yahoo.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Chop up the onions and red pepper into chunks, then finely chop the red chilies.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add in the onion and cook on a low-to-medium heat for 8-10 minutes (until the onion is soft and beginning to brown). Add in the garlic and ground beef and fry, stirring regularly to break up the beef, until the beef is no longer pink.

3. Add in the peppers and stir, then add in the tomato puree, chili flakes, paprika, ginger, cumin, chipotle paste and one of the chopped red chilies. Stir, then add in the macaroni, followed by the stock and canned tomatoes. Stir and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer on a low heat for five minutes.

4. After five minutes, stir in the kidney beans, then place the lid back on and continue to heat for another 8-10 minutes.

5. Take the lid off and stir through half the cheese, then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and place the lid back on for 3-5 more minutes, until the cheese has melted.

6. Remove the lid and sprinkle with the remaining chopped chilies and the chopped cilantro, then serve.