Easy Chili Mac Recipe With a Twist You’ll Love!

cheddar cheese

🥗Healthier: reduced-fat cheese

💰Cheaper: processed cheese

Reduced-fat cheese lowers calories while maintaining flavor.

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: turkey sausage

💰Cheaper: ground beef

Turkey sausage is leaner, while ground beef is often less expensive.

Chop up 2 onions into even sizes for even cooking or use frozen chopped onions.

Cut the tops off the ancho and guajo chilis and remove the seeds by rolling them and splitting them open with fingers.

Place the cleaned chilis in a heat-proof bowl and pour boiling water over them to rehydrate, letting them sit.

Add 2 tbsp of butter to a skillet over medium heat and bring water to a boil for the pasta.

Sauté the chopped onions in the skillet until translucent.

Add 2 lbs of ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up and sautéing until browned.

Add the macaroni noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions.

Squeeze 2-3 tsp of tomato paste into the ground beef mixture, adjusting to taste.

Drain the cooked macaroni and set aside.

Drain the rehydrated chilis, reserving the water for later use.

Puree the chilis in a cup with some reserved water using an immersion blender until smooth, aiming for a spaghetti sauce consistency.

Add the pureed chili mix to the ground beef mixture, scraping in all the puree for maximum flavor.

Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and garlic powder as desired.

Add the drained macaroni noodles into the ground beef and chili mixture, stirring to combine.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens