One-Pot Chili Mac

Dinner? Lunch? Supper? No matter what you call it, a one-pot meal makes mealtime simple.

Here on the farm, we've always called our noon meal "dinner" and our evening meal "supper." It was the same at our childhood homes for both Randy and me. 

Now that our children are city dwellers, they have transitioned their terminology to "lunch" and "dinner." So we play the name game sometimes when we are discussing mealtime - or meal times!

No matter the time of day, a new recipe I tried this week, One-Pot Chili Mac, makes meal preparation a snap. And it has flavors that are universal for kids and adults - hamburger, macaroni and cheese, with a bunch of other tasty stuff thrown in for good measure.

Serve with a fresh lettuce salad.

Thankfully, my hubby doesn't mind leftovers. The recipe says it serves 4, but, in reality, it would serve at least 6, and probably more (unless you're talking harvest hands or teenage boys)!

The original recipe called for fresh chopped parsley to garnish the top. Since I didn't have that (or cilantro or green onion tops), I sprinkled with a little dried parsley. I also added a sprinkle of additional cheese and topped it with a few tri-colored tortilla strips. Besides making it pretty, it gave a little crunch.

Best of all, it really did only dirty one pot, plus a few measuring cups and spoons. And it only took about 30 minutes to prepare - start to finish. Serve it with a green salad, and dinner ... or lunch ... or supper ... is served!

One-Pot Chili Mac

Adapted from the blog, Damn Delicious

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 large green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth (or use 4 cups water plus 2 tbsp. dry chicken soup base)
1 14.5-oz. can stewed tomatoes, cut up
1 can white cannelini beans  (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded fiesta cheese (or Cheddar cheese)
(Garnish: additional cheese, colored tortilla strips, green onion, cilantro, etc.)

Cook hamburger in a Dutch oven or other large pot with garlic, onion and green pepper until hamburger is browned and veggies are tender.  Drain excess fat. Return to stove.

Add chicken broth (or water plus dry chicken soup base), tomatoes, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

Stir in pasta. Bring to boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-15 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and stir until melted.

Serve immediately. Garnish as desired. The original recipe called to garnish with fresh parsley, but I didn't have that, so I sprinkled on a little dried parsley, a little additional cheese and added a few tortilla strips for color and crunch.

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I'm sharing this recipe at Weekend Potluck today. Check out the other recipes at these hosts' blogs:

• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Frugal Family Favorites ~ Tabitha
• Sweet Little Bluebird~ Mary