Recipe Swap: Cheesy Chili Mac

Recipe swap time again!  This time I received a recipe that I had bookmarked earlier and was wanting to make anyway so was very excited to see this One Pot meal show up in my inbox.

This is very rich and very cheesy as the name promises!  I decided to leave out the extra cup of shredded cheese in the pasta sauce because I was concerned it'd be too much (crazy considering how much I LOVE cheese) and it was still plenty cheesy.  This is essentially homemade Hamburger Helper.  Yum!

This week I submitted a recipe that I received in a previous swap: Pierogi and Kielbasa Bake.  The Cookaholic Wife had made a very similar version previously and her husband liked the recipe even more WITH my addition of the veggies!  See the full round-up at Taste of Home Cooking.


By the way, I think I'm officially going to try to make Fridays a series of posts: Fast Fridays.  Meals that you can make in 30 minutes or less.  What do you think?  And, any great recipes to share so I can build my repertoire?

Cheesy Chili Mac

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Onion, minced
• 1 Tbsp Chili powder
• 1 Tbsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 4 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp Brown sugar
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 2 cups Water
• 1 15 oz can Tomato sauce
• 2 cups Pasta (I used about 3 cups Penne since noodles are bigger and so they don't pack as well)
• 1 15 oz can Black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained (used diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers)
• 4 oz Cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups Shredded mexican cheese blend (I used a sprinkling of sharp cheddar)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Heat a 12" skillet over medium heat and add oil.  Heat until shimmering.  Add the onion, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the pan.  Cook, stirring frequently until the onion is soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the garlic and brown sugar and cook an additional 1 minute.  Add the ground beef and cook through.
2. Stir in the water and tomato sauce then add the pasta and stir again.  Cover and increase heat to medium-high.  Cook until al dente, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the tomatoes and black beans, then the cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese is incorporated.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and for extra cheesiness, add 1 cup of shredded cheese.  Stir until combined.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and cover.  Let stand for 2 minutes until the cheese has melted.  Top with cilantro and garnish with sour cream, if desired.

Source: Adapted from Jey of Cooking