There is something undeniably comforting this time of year about a warm bowl of chili mac. Chili mac brings warmth and salinification to any meal. It’s easy preparation customizable ingredients and rich flavors make it perfect choice for cold winter evenings. So next time you find yourself craving something hearty and delicious grab your ingredients and make a hot bowl of chili mac that everyone will enjoy.  

 

Ingredients:  

• 1 pound Ground turkey  

• ½ Large yellow onion  

• 3 cloves garlic minced  

• 1 tbsp chili powder  

• 1 ½ dried oregano  

• 4 cups Chicken broth  

• 4 Beef Boullion cubes  

• 1 15oz can of chili beans drained and rinsed 

• 1 15oz fire roasted diced tomatoes undrained  

• Salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning 

• 2 cups Elbow noodles  

• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese 

Instructions:  

1. In a large pot boil water for the noodles and cook according to package directions, after straining the noodles I like to spray with olive oil to keep them from sticking. 

2. In a large skillet cook the ground turkey onions and garlic over medium high heat until meat is browned. Drain off any fat if any since we are using turkey.  Add in the bouillon cubes and mix into the meat to give the dish a slight beef flavor. (Or you can just use ground beef instead of turkey.)  Stir in chili powder oregano and the Cajun powder cook one minute. 

3. Transfer meat mixture into a Dutch oven.   stir in the chicken broth beans and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper cover and cook about 20 min on medium until the beans are cooked through.  Add the cooked pasta and ½ of the cheese cook for an additional 30 Minutes until all combined. Top with remaining cheese and serve.  

We like to eat this with buttered rolls or even tortilla chips. For extra nutrition consider adding in some veggies. When I was eating this, I thought of adding in some corn. You can also add in some bell peppers or zucchini to the mix. If you like heat like my family, you can even add in some Jalapenos during the cooking or sprinkle in some crushed red peppers.  

Feel free to mix it up with different kinds of cheese like pepper jack (again if you like some spice) or even some Monterey hack offers a mild creaminess.  

Cooking tips:  

Before cooking I like to prep!! It may make more clean up in the end but will make cooking so much easier.  My husband has not figured out the art of prep work yet. It’s so funny to watch him panic in the middle of cooking.  

One thing I cannot stress enough is having good cooking equipment. I cannot cook without my hex clad pans. I know they are expensive but so worth it.