One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

Comfort food means different things to different people. For some it can evoke memories of childhood (chicken and noodles like my grandma used to make), for some it can conjure a more spiritual experience like a soup that warms your body and your soul (homemade tomato or french onion for me) and for some it can just be a big old, decadent piece of fried chicken for no apparent reason other than it's there and you can! Well, that and the fact that it's breaded and fried, and it comes with mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans that have been cooked in bacon fat for entirely too long, and a cinnamon roll.  But we're talking about Chili Mac here! Stay on task, Shel!  Comfort food like this Chili Mac is like a big hug from someone that you love, a kiss from your mom after falling down or a sweet memory of days passed.

Sometimes life demands comfort food. Sometimes life screams for comfort food of two kinds in the same dish (in this case macaroni & cheese and chili.) You know the days I'm talking about. When you're bogged down with work or your kids are fighting with each other ALL THE LIVE LONG DAY. A few weekends ago my life was screaming for comfort food so I made this. Now, I don't know why, but chili mac and I had never met. It seems crazy to me now because I can't imagine my life without it and I know it's a familiar dish to so many! Extremely versatile in execution because you can use any ground meat you want, any beans you like and any shape of pasta you have on hand this dish comes together in a flash in ONE POT and feeds a small army!  My husband would say most of my dishes will feed a small army.  Cook up a pot, give yourself a culinary hug and feed your army (and someone else's) with this hearty dish!

One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese (adapted from damndelicious.net)

1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef (I used 96% lean)
8 c. low sodium chicken broth
2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 t. chili powder
3 t. cumin
1 T. salt
1/2 t. pepper
20 oz. uncooked elbow pasta
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
4 T. cilantro, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onion, reduce the heat to medium low and sauté the onion for 5-7 minutes until it is translucent and softened but not browned. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat, until cooked through and lightly browned about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and stir in the pasta. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer until the pasta is cooked through, about 13-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring to combine and melt the cheese. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro.

8 servings (531 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com