Skillet Chili Mac
For everyone who grew up on Hamburger Helper, you’ll appreciate when I say that this recipe is like your very own Hamburger Personal Assistant. It’s taking calls, sending faxes, and is keeping your schedule (since it cooks up in about 30 minutes). 
My advice would be to use your biggest skillet because this makes a TON of food. I’m also interested in trying this recipe with an Italian theme – I’ll let you know how it goes.
I got this recipe from a lovely food blog called My Kitchen Cafe and she got it from The 30-Minute Best Recipes.
Though it seems that we’ve both made a few alterations to the original – I cut the oil, and reduced the cheese, but that’s my prerogative. : )
Skillet Chili Mac
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, minced
- 3/4 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 4.5-oz can chopped green chiles
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Saute the ground beef, onion, chili powder, and cumin. Cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat or grease. Stir in garlic and brown sugar and cook until fragrant (this only takes about 30 seconds). Stir in tomato sauce, water, green chiles, corn, and macaroni. Cover and cook, stirring often and keeping the heat at a steady simmer, until the macaroni is tender, about 12 minutes.
Stir in a little over half of the cheese and cilantro. Serve with remaining cheese that can be sprinkled on top if desired.
Happy Cooking!
October 21st, 2009 at 10:29 am
Kimberly, I have that cookbook, and I just looked it up, and yes, the recipe is in there! By the way, the cookbook is AWESOME! But now I’ll try this recipe as well.