Hot and steaming, this Chili Mac is a comforting meal for a cold winter night. This recipe has a lot of veggies incorporated, and is gluten-free, as always. There is a bit of zip to it, so feel free to put in less chili powder or a more mild salsa if you want it tamed down.
Chili Mac
My chili mac recipe is one that has a lot of flexibility. I’m always trying to put more veggies in things, and love to use home-canned or frozen items that I have preserved from my garden. I like to cook my beans from dry ones and freeze for easy preparation on busy nights. Because everything I cook is gluten-free, I pre-cook the noodles and slide them in at the last minute to stop them from getting mushy. I also use corn noodles at times in casseroles, because they are firmer than the brown rice ones and seem to hold up better in casseroles for me. Still, both kinds are good.
Servings: 7 1-cup servings
Calories: 236kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked gluten-free rotini or macaroni I often use corn noodles for this such as Sam Mills brand
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup diced sweet pepper frozen bits work great, or 4 baby peppers
- 2 cups cooked pinto beans
- 2 cups tomato juice, crushed tomatoes, or sauce I used 1 pint of home-canned
- 2 Tablespoons salsa I used home-canned and it had quite a bit of zip, so this could be adjusted to taste
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder I used medium heat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Brown the hamburger, onion, celery and peppers in a large frying pan until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are softening. Add the spices, tomato juice, beans, salt and pepper and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Slip the cooked noodles into the mixture, stir gently to not break the noodles up, and let the casserole simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes to meld the flavors together. Remove from heat. Serve immediately. Cheese can be sprinkled on top if desired.
