Healthy and Easy Dinner - Veggie Chili Mac

    This is a recipe I got from Rachael Ray's website.  It looked good, healthy and easy to make so I gave it a try and my family loved this dinner. It cooked up so fast and was tasty too.  I know I will be making this dish again and I think you will enjoy it as well. Here are the ingredients:

4 roasted peppers (I used Anaheim peppers I have some already roasted and frozen so I pull them out and defrost to use for recipes)
2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 15 oz can of pinto beans, drained
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of coriander
1tablespoon of smoked, sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of Ancho (mild) or Chipotle (hot/smokey) chili powder
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 cup vegetable stock (you can also substitute beer such as Negra Modela)
1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 pound of whole wheat semolina macaroni or elbow pasta
A handful of cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
1 cup of cheddar cheese or (Monterey Jack)
1 cup of pepper jack cheese or (Colby)
3 scallions finely chopped

Serves 4-6

First begin by boiling water for your pasta.

Heat a heavy pot over medium heat with the Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Add onions and garlic, soften for 5 minutes.  Add chopped roasted peppers and pintos to the pot.  Season with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder and stir to combine.  Add tomato paste, stir to incorporate then add vegetable stock (or beer) and roasted tomatoes.  Reduce heat to simmer.

Veggie Chili Mac cooking.

Cook pasta to el dente, drain and toss with veggie chili and cilantro, if using. Place in a casserole dish and top with cheeses.  (Optional) Place under broiler to melt and brown cheeses.





Garnish with scallions and serve.








If you have someone who doesn't like cheese, you can put the cheese on half the casserole or add the cheese after you serve up the dishes. You can also eat this with bread or crackers.

Veggie Chili Mac served, one with cheese the other without.

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