18 October, 2017
Chili Mac
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound sirloin or chuck steak, cut into ½” cubes
1 teaspoon “Better Than Bouillon” Roasted Beef flavor (or 1 regular beef bouillon cube)
1 cup hot water
1 sweet onion (Vidalia or Mayan), chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ cup tomato ketchup
1 large can (27 ounces) Bush’s Best Chili Beans (Pinto beans in mild chili sauce)
2 quarts water
½ box elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream
Preparation:
Heat the vegetable oil in a large, nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the beef cubes and cook for about 5 minutes, stir every 2 minutes or so to brown on all sides. Just brown the meat – not cook it all the way through.
While the meat is browning, turn Crockpot onto High.
Add the bouillon to the hot water and stir to dissolve. Pour into the Crockpot. Add the chopped onion and chopped celery. Add the spices (garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of the salt, chili powder, cumin and sugar) and the ketchup. Stir.
Add the browned meat to the Crockpot. Stir in the chili beans. Cover and cook on high 4 hours, then reduce to low heat until ready to serve.
About 15 minutes before serving, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the elbow macaroni, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.
Drain the cooked macaroni and assemble the chili mac in the individual serving bowls. For each serving, put about ½ cup of cooked macaroni in each bowl. Sprinkle with a handful of shredded cheese. Spoon about ½ cup of the chili on top of the cheese. Top with a large dollop of sour cream.
Notes:
Hot, buttered corn bread or sourdough rolls go great with Chili Mac.
If you have not yet tried Better Than Bouillon, check it out!
