Vegetarian Chili Mac

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup red onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

2 medium carrots (chopped into ¼-inch pieces)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

4 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

½ teaspoon salt (more to taste)

28 ounce can petite diced tomatoes

2 jalapeños, diced

8 ounces brown rice elbow macaroni

15 ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained)

15 ounce can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)

2 cups water (or vegetable stock)

2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey jack, mozzarella, or a combination)

Cilantro (optional)

Green onion, sliced (optional)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet* or pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add a tablespoon of water and steam until soft.

Add the garlic, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to the pan with the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Stir in the diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chilies, pasta, black beans, kidney beans and water. Stir.

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook, stirring every few minutes, until pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 12-15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in most of the cheese, reserving a little for sprinkling on top. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Serve.

Notes

If halving the recipe, omit kidney beans.

For croc pot:

1. Place all ingredients except for pasta, cheese, and green onions in slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6-8 hours.

2. Stir in pasta and continue cooking on high for 15-20 minutes until pasta is cooked through. Stir in cheese.

3. Serve topped with green onions.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 6 servings
• Calories: 447 kcal
• Total Fat: 12 g
• Saturated Fat: 6 g
• Cholesterol: 29 mg
• Sodium: 1029 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 63 g
• Dietary Fiber: 13 g
• Total Sugars: 9 g
• Protein: 23 g