Beef Chili Mac & Cheese

 

Before I get too far into this post I have always though of Chili mac as first, bizarre, and second, something that would strictly be for kids or other individuals lacking taste-buds. However, when we were making our menu almost two weeks ago, Ethan got so excited when he saw this recipe in a magazine that I couldn't refuse. Well, I couldn't refuse, but I could make a very big salad for myself as a back-up. To my surprise, I loved this recipe. Since I think that one of the main reasons that I had originally discounted this recipe was because I couldn't imagine eating noodles and beans in the same bite, I was glad to see that this recipe was really a beanless chili. I also liked all the different seasonings and tomatos in this recipe because I think it gives a more "grown-up" taste. Another thing that I really liked about this recipe (which has nothing to do with taste), is that this is really a pantry recipe. Even though we usually don't keep canned Tomatoes with Green Chilis on hand, or Mac and Cheese, all the other ingredients were things that we normally have on hand. In that way, I think this could be a fun recipe to just have on hand int he pantry as food storage. Finally, this recipe cost less than $10 dollars to make and Ethan and I were able to have it for two meals, plus Ehtan had it for a lunch too. So for all the rest of you with kids, this might not last as long, but it still is a cheap meal! With all that said, we will definitely be trying this recipe again next month.


Ingredients:
1 Packages (7 1/4 oz each) Mac & Cheese. Store brand worked out just fine.
1 lb Ground Beef
1 med Onion, diced
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1-10 oz can Tomato with Green Chilis
1- 8 oz can Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 cups (16oz) Sour Cream
1 1/2 Cups, Shredded Cheese

Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add mcaroni; cook 8-10 mins. Leave the noodles Al dente.

In a large sauce pan brown the ground beef and onionsover medium for 6-8 minutes. Drain fat. Stir in tomatoes, tomatoes and chilis, tomato sauce, and seasoning.Drain macaroni and add to the tomato mixture. Add in contents of the Mac and Cheese packets, sour cream and cheese.

Transfer to a 13-9 pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. (Ours took closer to 30 minutes.)

Serve and Enjoy!