Chilli Mac & Cheese

Good morning everyone!

I hope you all had wonderful weekends – mine was good, taken up mostly with reading and planning – and no small amount of time yesterday morning trying to decide what to cook!

I was torn between 2 choices and then a thought popped into my head – what if I combine the 2? It seemed reasonable enough – I adapted another rice dish to work with macaroni (Beef and Bean Macaroni Bake) so why couldn’t this work?

And so, last night we trialled – and thoroughly enjoyed – Chilli Mac & Cheese and here is how you make it! Feeds 4+ adults depending on portion size (you know what you eat!)

INGREDIENTS

• 300g Macaroni
• 750g Low Fat Beef Mince
• 400g Tin Baked Beans
• 400g Tin Red Kidney Beans in a Chilli Sauce
• 400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 Large or 2 Small onions – diced
• 2 Good Handfuls of Grated Cheddar Cheese (plus some spread on top)
• 1 Packet Chilli con Carne spice mix

OR the following spices –

• 2 1/2 tsp Mild Chilli Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

• Pre-heat your oven to 180°c (fan assisted)
• Set macaroni to cook in a pan of lightly salted water as per pack instructions
• Brown off mince with onion and drain off the excess fat

NOTE – I like to add a couple of beef OXO cubes to bring out the flavour – do this here if you would like!

• Add baked beans, kidney beans, chopped tomatoes and spices (or packet) and combine well
• Reduce heat and simmer while you drain your pasta
• Mix in cheese until thoroughly melted
• Add cooked pasta to the pan and combine until all pasta is coated in chilli!
• 
• Transfer to an oven-proof dish, level out and sprinkle more grated cheddar cheese over the top
• Place in oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbling
• Serve immediately.

We eat this on its own as its really filling but you could always serve it with some salad, maybe some coleslaw and as its chilli based maybe a dollop of sour cream – the choice is entirely yours!

Let me know what you think!