Chili Mac
9 colorsTHE WHY BEHIND THIS RECIPE
When I polled you all on Instagram for fall comfort food recipes that you wanted a Cooking in Color remake of, I got TONS of suggestions for Chili Mac. To be honest I had never made Chili Mac… which was surprising given I grew up in Minnesota which is the land of casseroles and hot dishes. After 5 rounds of recipe testing, debates with my recipe testers if it should be more “chili” or more “mac”, I think it’s perfect. It’s flavorful like chili but creamy like mac and cheese.
My favorite way to make this is actually with a vegan sauce - essentially cashews, cauliflower, nutritional yeast - but I’ve included a cheese version as well if you prefer. I’m not vegan, but sometimes I’ve found a great vegan sauce can really up the nutritional value and flavor of a dish. If you want to add more protein, add in some ground beef - or any ground meat of choice.
Like all my recipes, it’s nutrient dense, blood sugar friendly, colorful, and packed with fiber and micronutrients. This is a great one for meal prep as it reheats super well!
I’m counting 9 colors: 1 (jalapeño) 2 (red pepper) 3 (orange pepper) 4 (tomatoes) 5 (pinto beans) 6 (cauliflower) 7 (green chilies) 8 (green onion) 9 (cilantro). *I don’t count spices and seasonings, but those add some extra colors, anti-inflammatory components and nutrients as well!
Yields: 6 servings
Total time: ~45 minutes
Prep time: 20 minites
Bake time: 20-25 minutes
This recipe originally appeared in my Substack - Cooking in Color. Every week I share a new recipe in my Substack for Color Club members, but the first week of the month I share a recipe for all subscribers, and this one was it for the first week of November!
WHAT YOU NEED
TOOLS
9x13 rectangular baking dish (Caraway non-toxic or glass)
Stock pot or dutch oven (for chili ingredients)
Stock pot or dutch oven (for boiling pasta)
Chef’s knife (I love my Made In knife!)
Blender, Vitamix or food processor
Measuring cups/spoons
INGREDIENTS
CHILLI MAC1 small yellow onion or 1/2 a medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped - I like doing two different colored peppers for more COLOR!
1 small cauliflower or 3 cups cauliflower florets, finely chopped (ideally around the same size as the pasta)
2 tbsp red or white miso paste
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp + 1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper (less if you don’t want as much spice, more if you want a little more spice!)
2 tsp salt
1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes, liquid mostly removed from the can
1 cup pinto beans (this is basically half a 15 oz can, save the other half for adding protein and fiber to salads or bowls!)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can diced green chilies
1 box or about 3 cups Chefs Kiss pasta (use code SONJA for 20% off)
more salt and pepper, to taste
CAULIFLOWER CASHEW "CHEESE" SAUCE (see notes for a cheddar + mozzarella version if you prefer)1 cup cauliflower (scoop 1 cup from your stock pot from step 4)
1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked in warm water to soften
1 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth (or bone broth if not vegan)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
FOR SERVINGGreen onions
Cilantro
HOW TO DO IT
MAKE THE CHILI1. Soak cashews in 2 cups of hot, filtered water while you are preparing everything else. Put a pot of water for the pasta on the stove so the water heats up while you prepare the chili.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
3. In a dutch oven, saute onion and jalapeño with miso and olive oil for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add cauliflower and 1/4 cup of water to the pot. Put the lid on to steam the cauliflower. After 5-7 minutes, once the cauliflower is soft but not mushy, remove 1 cup of the cauliflower (and onion and jalapeño mixture) and set aside.
5. Add peppers, and all of the spices (chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, salt) to the pot, saute for 2-3 minutes more.
6. Add diced tomatoes, beans, green chiles, and tomato paste. Stir and turn down to a simmer for another 5-10 minutes while you cook the pasta and make the sauce.
MAKE THE PASTA 7. Cook pasta for a few minutes less than the directions call for. You want it to be al dante because it will keep baking in the oven. Strain and set aside.
MAKE THE CASHEW CHEESE SAUCE8. In a blender, combine the 1 cup of cauliflower mixture you set aside earlier with nutritional yeast, cashews, water or broth, garlic powder, dijon mustard, and salt.
9. Blend on high until smooth.
If you want to swap the cashew cauliflower sauce for cheese: Mix in 3 cups of shredded cheese in step 10 instead of the cashew cheese sauce. Stir until melted. I like doing a combo of sharp cheddar and mozzarella, but you can pick your cheese of choice!
COMBINE, BAKE, SERVE
10 Add the cashew cheese sauce to the chili pot. Stir.
11. Pour a layer of the chili sauce to coat the bottom of an oven safe baking dish. Then gently add in the pasta and the remainder of the sauce. Stir together.
12. Optional to top with shredded cheese before baking. I like a little sharp cheddar on top of this dish!
13. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350F.
14. Before serving, top with green onions, cilantro and a little flakey sea salt.
SWAPS, TIPS & TRICKS
If you want to add meat: Saute ground meat with a little salt, cumin, and tomato paste in a separate pan. Add in step 6.
If you want to swap the cashew cauliflower sauce for cheese: Mix in 3 cups of shredded cheese in step 10 instead of the cashew cheese sauce. Stir until melted. I like doing a combo of sharp cheddar and mozzarella, but you can pick your cheese of choice!
Swap for pinto beans: Use any beans you have on hand! Black beans or kidney beans would work well.
If you are not vegan/vegetarian: Swap water for bone broth in the cashew cheese sauce.
Storage: Keeps well in the fridge for up to a week and the freezer for 2 months, but it’s never actually lasted that long in my freezer because it always gets eaten!
Nutritional Info
This is calculated with 1 box of Chef’s Kiss pasta which has 20g protein, 20g of carbs, 19g of fiber per serving. It will vary if you use a different type of pasta.
Per serving, makes ~6 servings
Calories: 526
Carbohydrates: 33g
Fiber: 21g
Net carbs: 12g
Protein: 38g
Fat: 26g
Sodium: 1843mg
Sugar: 5g
