I originally adapted and published this recipe way back in 2008, when I was living and working in Washington, DC. Back then, I was running my family’s children’s clothing brand and spending a lot of time in the car with my dog, as we also had a house on the New Jersey shore, and we’d drive back and forth several times a month. I remember experimenting with this recipe at the beach house when there was three feet of snow on the ground.
And, man, this chili mac is really hearty, filling, and will warm ya up even on the coldest of winter evenings.
Plus, it can all be done in one large, heavy-bottomed pot on the stove…or thrown together in a slow cooker to cook away all afternoon. That’s especially great when you’re having guests and don’t know exactly when you’re going to want to sit down to eat.
While the recipe calls for (an annoying) ¾ of a pound of both ground turkey and ground beef, I always cook up a full pound of each, then reserve ½ pound for a future spaghetti sauce. If you’re cooking anyway, you might as well.
Anyway, you’ll start by heating that big pot to medium, browning and crumbling the ground meats—stirring to combine—then add green bell pepper, onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, nutmeg, cumin, salt, and pepper. When the pepper, onion, and garlic have had a few minutes to soften, add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and chili beans in chili sauce (I use pinto). Reduce to low and let all that goodness get well acquainted with each other for as long as you like.
When you’re ready to eat, boil the pasta according to package directions, drain, and mix in some butter. Transfer to individual bowls, spoon on the chili, then top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, some chopped raw white onion (if you like), and a dollop of sour cream.
Y’all…it’s perfection in a bowl.
As written, this should feed four normal adults, two super hungry folks with leftovers for lunch the next day, or one really big professional football player and his dog.
Serve it with piping hot buttered corn bread and a big tall beer for the ultimate meal.
Hearty Chili Mac
Servings: 4 / Prep: 20 minutes / Cook: 45 minutes (or all day)
Ingredients:
- Olive Oil
- ¾ lb. Ground Turkey*
- ¾ lb. Ground Beef
- 1 cup Green Bell Pepper, diced
- 2 cups White Onion, chopped, divided
- 2 to 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 6 oz. Tomato Paste
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Oregano
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- 2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis (most seem to be 14.5 oz cans these days)
- 1 can Chili (Pinto) Beans in Chili Sauce (Mild or Hot, depending on your love of heat)
- 1 pound Elbow Macaroni
- ¼ stick of butter, softened
- Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream
* You can make this with all turkey or all beef as you see fit. It’s not like you’re baking a cake! I make one pound of each and reserve ½ pound for a future spaghetti sauce.
Steps:
- Chop the green bell pepper and onion, then reserve half of the onion for serving. Shred the cheddar, unless you bought it pre-shredded, then don’t.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot on medium, brown the meat in a little olive oil, breaking it up and stirring to combine until no longer pink. Drain as you see fit.
- Stir in the green pepper, onion, and garlic and cook for a few minutes so that it softens.
- Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, dried oregano, nutmeg, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Experiment with the spices you like.
- Add the two cans of diced tomatoes and the chili beans, with the sauce and juices, and stir well to combine.
- Cover and turn the heat down to low and let it do its thing for at least 30 minutes, if not longer. The longer it cooks, the better it’ll be, dontcha know.
- When ready to eat, boil the elbow macaroni according to package directions, drain, then return to the pot. Stir in the butter to coat.
- Add macaroni to individual serving bowls and spoon the chili over the macaroni.
- Let your guests top off their yummy meal with raw onion, shredded cheddar cheese, and a big ol’ dollop of sour cream.
- Enjoy!
This goes great with piping hot buttered corn bread and a big tall beer.
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