One of the things that makes me happiest these days is spending time in my kitchen cooking meals for our little family of two and baking treats that we’ll indulge in as well as share with others. I love reading cookbooks and magazines or browsing food blogs for inspiration and then heading into the kitchen with an idea and the ability to make it happen. Whether I’m chopping veggies, stirring a sauce, whipping up a batter in my mixer or kneeling in front of the oven peeking in to watch cupcakes rise, it’s all good. It wasn’t that long ago I woke up every morning dreading yet another long day at a job that made me completely miserable and left little time for outside interests, so I’m especially grateful that my current situation allows me to spend so much time doing something I feel passionate about.
As much as I love being in my kitchen, during the week I usually just want to get a quick dinner on the table, and preferably one that doesn’t involve 3 pans, 2 cutting boards, 4 measuring cups and 2 knives because if there’s one thing I’m not a big fan of, it’s washing dishes. Many of my favorite weeknight meals are one-pot recipes so I was instantly drawn to an issue of Cook’s Country magazine I found recently containing quick and easy meals made in just one skillet. This cheesy chili mac was the first recipe I tried, mainly because I had all of the ingredients on hand already. Well, technically I didn’t have ground beef as the recipe suggested, but that doesn’t really count since I always substitute ground turkey anyway.
The recipe was a cinch to throw together though I did have a moment of “is this really going to work?” as I cooked the pasta. A combination of water and tomato sauce are added to the skillet and the elbow macaroni is cooked directly in that liquid. It absorbs the liquid, creating a thick sauce and Shane and I both agreed the texture of the pasta didn’t suffer as a result of this unusual method of preparation. I do want to note that the dish is barely spicy so if you like more heat you’ll probably want to think about adding red pepper flakes or hot sauce. We both enjoyed this meal, and in fact, Shane even raved after reheating the leftovers the next night. I am definitely looking forward to trying many more dishes from this magazine and hopefully adding some new one pot dinners to our rotation!
Cheesy Chili Mac
adapted from Cook’s Country via Skillet Suppers
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 pound ground turkey
2 cups water
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
8 oz (about 2 cups) elbow macaroni
1 1/2 -2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
Set a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Heat until shimmering. Add the onion, chili powder, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and brown sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground turkey and cook until it is no longer pink.
Stir the water and tomato sauce into the ground turkey mixture in the pan. Add the pasta and stir to combine. Cover the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until the pasta is al dente, stirring frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a vigorous simmer. (My pasta took about 12-13 minutes to cook through. The sauce will be thick by the time your pasta finishes.)
Turn off the heat under the pan and add 1 cup of the cheese. Stir to incorporate/melt then season the dish to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining cheese (1/2 – 1 cup depending on how cheesy you want your dish) over the top and cover the pan again. Let stand for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
I just want to say that I think that looks really, really, really appetizing! 🙂 I have never tried cooking pasta in the sauce though, and I think I would be interested in trying… Thanks for sharing 🙂
So can I come over for dinner? Because there is no way I could get my family to eat this but I WANT IT. It looks so tasty and is totally right up my alley. I only get to eat food like this when we have company that is more adventurous…
Maybe I’ll sneak it in on them anyway… 🙂
There is so much about this recipe that resonates with me: ground turkey, elbow macaroni, etc. You’ve made my day (in my culinary head).
I was a really big fan of this, we should definitely start having it more often!
One pot meal works for me. And healthier than using grd beef.
I love one skillet meals, and this definitely looks like a winner. I’m saving this to make later in the summer when I have no desire to use the oven and heat up the house but my husband won’t let us just eat salad for dinner.
Mmm this dish looks fab! Beautiful recipe.
This recipe looks like a great weeknight (or even weekend) meal! What an interesting way to cook the pasta, I can’t wait to try it!
this looks so delish, and a meal I can use the next day for lunches. YUMMY
That looks so great to me right now – I don’t think I remember ever eating cheesy mac growing up (my mom is an Italian cooking purist) but for some reason it looks so incredibly appetizing. I’m sure my kids would gobble it up, too. I’m a big fan of one-dish meals – I have my eye on Pam Anderson’s one-dish meal cookbook.
Is it just me or have you been cooking from Cook’s Country like crazy lately?! And everything looks so very delicious. This mac looks insanely delicious. I’m going to have to make a trip to get the current issue of CC. Or perhaps I’ll just subscribe to the online database. I used to subscribe to the CI online database but I let the subscription lapse.
@Jessica – It’s not just you, I cook from CI and Cook’s Country quite a bit, especially lately. Cook’s Country works well for us because the recipes suit Shane’s tastes without much modification, which is not always an easy thing to do 🙂
That looks so so good!
Wow! This looks great… I bet my hubby would love it. He ate a lot of Hamburger Helper growing up as a kid, but I always refuse to make it. This will make him giddy 🙂
Wow, that looks great! I wish I had some for dinner right now. I tried a skillet lasagne from CI quite a while back, and I’ve got to say, it was really good. The noodles for that also cook right in the skillet.
This looks so delicious! I’ve made chili mac before but it always turns out a bit dry. I like that this is a one pot dinner and quick to make. I have all of the ingredients and may even make tonight!
This looks so delicious and yummy and with the rainy weather we’ve been having here, this is going on this weeks menu!! I love that it’s with turkey yummmmm!!!!!
I have ground beef taken out for dinner tonight, I think you just came to my rescue!! This is something that Tony will eat without much modification!! I usually buy the hamburger helper chili mac for him on days when I really don’t feel like cooking and when I usually eat a salad or eggs or pancakes, something he’d never eat for dinner LOL! Going to make this before he comes home so he doesn’t see the onions and brown sugar go in, so he can’t turn his nose up at it 😉
Thank you for the dinner idea! It was wonderful!! I used half dark meat, half white meat for the turkey and added a few leftover black olives to the top before the layer of cheese. That’s the fourth meal you’ve planned for me in the past few weeks. I feel like I should start paying you to be my meal planner 🙂
@Melanie – Thanks for stopping by to let me know you enjoyed it 🙂 Glad I could help with dinner ideas!
I love meals like this, especially when there are leftovers for the next day! I have a flexible schedule and love being home a lot of days so that I can spend more time in the kitchen – much better than being hunched over a desk!
There’s something to be said for one pot meals. I think it’s a lost art! Your cheesy chili mac looks like it would fit right in here (except I have to go light on the cheese for hubby). Thanks for sharing.
I can’t resist Mac and cheese! Thank You for sharing your recipe. i will definitely try this at home.
I hear ya on the quick weeknight dinner that doesn’t create a ton of dishes. My son would love this one!
I love the sound of this recipe – sounds like great comfort food. My husband and I are moving into our newly renovated home (and kitchen!!) this weekend; I think this will be the first thing I make at the house – something tasty yet easy while we ate unpacking etc
Um, YUM! What a great recipe to please everyone in the family!
Oh yum! I am going to have to try this sooner rather than later!
Made this for dinner the other night. SOOO good! Thank you!
This looks delicious!!!!
You are now officially qualified to be the mother of teenage boys…they would eat this by the ton…I make it often and still they say, “Can we have this again tomorrow?” Like I would do that two days in a row…lol. Definitely a crowd pleaser with the swim guys, all the food groups in one pot!
I made this tonight for dinner and surprisingly my hubby loved it! My 7-yr-old enjoyed it very much as well. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
we had this for dinner tonight with only a few minor changes. it was very yummy! thanks for another great recipe.
emily
This actually looks so delicious! Bookmarking it for later. Love the photography too 🙂
This looks like an awesome weeknight dinner! I’m going to try it tonight. Thanks for the recipe.
This was such a good recipe! I loved it – thank you so much for sharing 🙂
This was a great recipe. I just made it and am munching on it right now. Thanks for sharing!
As a hungry student on a tight budget who tries to maintain a semblance of health in my menu — thank you!! I made this (threw in an extra can of tomatoes, bcs who doesn’t love tomatoes, and a li’l milk for creaminess), I froze the extra, and I’m looking forward to many yummy, healthy, and CHEAP meals from this batch. I really appreciate your blog — Thank you!!
It was yummy 13 points for anyone on WW trying to figure away to bring it down, maybe buy using the splenda brown sugar and adding more fiber maybe a healthy noodle? Ok I added 4 cups of spinach made it like 6 servings and dropped it to 370 calories and just 9 points!
This was easy and amazing! So delicious. Husband and I both enjoyed it very much.
Made this for dinner tonight, my husband and my two-year-old daughter LOVED IT!!! So excited to find a healthier answer to hamburger helper!
I’ve made this because it was in their 30 minute Meals book. Loved it!
http://whisktogether.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/chili-mac-30-minute-meal/
This was a pretty good find. I usually follow your desserts because they are always very good, so I’d figure I’d try one of your dinners for once. It didn’t disappoint…. for the most part.
The one thing I’d change about this recipe is take out the brown sugar entirely and exchange it for curry or cayenne pepper or something. I just like my dishes super spicy, and I usually chastise my friends for being pansies when it comes to spice. Otherwise this meal was very good, will be a repeat sometime in the future.
Can this be made ahead & frozen?
@ginagentry: I haven’t tried so I can’t say for sure how it would reheat. If you try, please let me know how it goes!