I have been majorly craving “comfort food” lately. But not just any comfort food. This kind of comfort food…
I have always been a fan of chili mac. Not only is it incredibly tasty, but the entire concept of chili mac is so simplistic and easy to make. Naturally, my brain began thinking of how I could transform the traditional chili mac dish into a flavorful vegetarian dish. What did I come up with? Why, a Mexican Chili Mac Bake, of course! 🙂
Mexican Chili Mac Bake
Servings: 2-3
Ingredients
EVOO cooking spray
2 servings whole wheat elbow macaroni
sea salt (for cooking pasta)
water, for cooking
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 package soyrizo
2 TB tomato paste
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles, with juices (I used about 3/4 of the can)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
2 TB nutritional yeast
black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup part-skim or fat-free cheddar cheese (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a small baking dish with EVOO cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Once cooked, set aside.
3. While the pasta is cooking, line a large skillet with a thin layer of water. Heat water over high heat until very hot. Once hot, lower the heat to medium and cook garlic and onions for approximately 6 minutes, or until softened.
4. Add soyrizo to the pan and break up with a spatula. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until the soyrizo is warm.
5. Add cooked pasta, tomato paste, diced tomatoes with chiles, vegetable broth, and seasonings to the skillet. Stir until well-combined. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until all ingredients are warm.
6. Spoon the chili mac into the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese, if desired.
7. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Now doesn’t that just look tasty?? 😉
Serve the Mexican Chili Mac Bake with your favorite side, like some delicious cooked green beans!
This Mexican Chili Mac Bake is delicious, very easy to make, hearty, and totally fits the bill for what I consider to be “comfort food.” I also love that this dish can be easily adapted to your tastes. You could certainly prepare this using chorizo instead of soyrizo, though I will say that soyrizo is a much healthier option and has the same taste as chorizo. If you are not a huge fan of spicy foods, I would recommend using regular tomatoes without the chiles and lowering the amount of chili powder used. Lastly, this dish can easily be made vegan by omitting the shredded cheese. And let me tell you, the flavors of the Mexican Chili Mac Bake are strong enough that the cheese truly is optional.
Please try to tell me that you do not want to dig into this Mexican Chili Mac Bake ASAP! Cannot do it? Neither can I! 😉
Happy Almost Friday everyone! 🙂
