- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Serving: 4 - 6 servings
This one skillet southwest chili mac is so easy and quick to throw together and so completely satisfying. It’s really easy to spice up more if you like (just add more cayenne), or leave it out completely if you have a milder palate. I like to finish this off in the broiler, I like the way it melts the cheese better than just covering it and melting the cheese on the stove. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use a Dutch oven or an oven safe skillet.
Check out these great cast iron skillets perfect for this recipe:
MY LATEST RECIPEShere’s a video showing how to make it:
Ingredients
- olive oil - 2 tbsp
- red onion - 1 medium, finely diced
- green pepper - 1/2, finely diced
- garlic cloves - 3, minced
- beef - 1 pound (500 g), ground
- chili powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
- cumin - 1 tsp
- cayenne pepper - 1/4 tsp
- salt and pepper - use very generoulsy
- diced tomatoes - 1 15 oz (400 g) can, with liquid
- tomato paste - 1 6 oz (140 g) can
- water - 1 1/2 cups
- corn - 1/2 cup, canned, drained
- black beans - 1 15 oz (400 g) can, drained and rinsed
- macaroni - 1 1/2 cups, uncooked
- cheddar cheese - 1 1/2 cups, shredded
how to
- Heat the oil over medium low heat in a large cast iron skillet, dutch oven or oven-safe saute pan.
- Add the onions and pepper and cook until beginning to soften - about 4 minutes then add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
- Increase the heat to medium high and add the ground beef, breaking it up well with a wooden spoon and cook until browned.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne and salt and pepper and mix well.
- Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, corn, beans and macaroni - mixing well.
- Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally - until the pasta is just tender.
- Stir in half of the cheese, then sprinkle the rest on top and put in the top third of your oven with the broiler on 400 F (200 C) and allow the cheese to brown, then serve. (perfect with some jalapeno cheddar cornbread)
Made this tonight, t’was simple and tasted wonderful! Whole family loved it!
Awesome, that’s just what I like to hear! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.
The second step in the instructions says to add the onions and pepper…am I missing something…I don’t see pepper in the ingredients list (except for salt and pepper and cayenne pepper but those are both added later in the instructions).
Hey – thanks for bringing that to my attention. I will get that fixed. 🙂
I’m thinking this person didn’t take the Green peppers in to account perhaps.
Laura Mcauley just add it to your favorits
What size is considered a large skillet.
I would say a 12″ or 15″.
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made this for my family today minus the corn.took the creamy cheese from the velvetta box mixed it in,then added shredded cheese on top.add tortilla chips.ny family loved it.
I thought that you were not to cook tomatos or tomato products in cast iron
As I am reading this recipe I wonder if putting corn bread mixture on the top and then cooking it sounds? It would give it another spin.
I think it would be delicious! Maybe if you just dolloped the cornbread on in pieces instead of covering the whole dish, then your sauce will still have some space to evaporate and thicken. 😉
Made this today, added a can of rotel for some extra heat, and used small pasta.
Sounds great! Love the addition of Rotel. 🙂