Spicy Chili Mac

Name: Spicy Chili Mac
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings.
Ingredients: 2 cups uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni; 1 pound lean ground turkey; 1 small onion, chopped; 2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped; 2 teaspoons olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained; 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained; 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce; 1 to 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce; 2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Family and friends love this recipe. I use three power foods: tomatoes, black beans and olive oil, plus whole wheat pasta. It's comfort food to feel good about! —Krissy Black, Mt. Vernon, Ohio

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook the turkey, onion and jalapenos in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain.
Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper sauce and seasonings. Drain macaroni; stir into turkey mixture. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until heated through.
Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand until cheese is melted.

Editor's Note

Wear disposable gloves when cutting hot peppers; the oils can burn skin. Avoid touching your face.

Nutrition Facts

1-1/2 cups: 396 calories, 12g fat (4g saturated fat), 70mg cholesterol, 581mg sodium, 45g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 9g fiber), 28g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Originally published as Chili Mac in Healthy Cooking August/September 2009

Reviews

My Review

Click stars to rate

Average Rating:

42.rmarshall

Jun 29, 2018

Great recipe. I felt like it was missing something, so I added chili-o!
Babyblue14

Feb 23, 2018

Substitutions I made were to use green onions and ground beef. Also added some ground coriander, salt and cilantro. Mine didn't look as pretty as the picture but it tasted good. I used rotini pasta which I don't recommend. Next time will use macaroni or shell pasta. Will make again.
MarineMom_texas

Oct 25, 2016

This is one of our favorite chili recipes. I follow the recipe but use regular macaroni instead of the wheat. It is good with lean ground beef, too. Delicious! I highly recommend this recipe.Volunteer Field Editor
Wildfiremustang

Feb 5, 2016

Similar to other recipes
rwippel

Oct 27, 2015

My husband and I were very happy with this recipe. It was quick, easy, and I had all the ingredients on hand. Not to mention that it tasted great! I think the next time I make this I'm going to replace one of the jalape?os for a chipotle in adobo.
Lyndamr09

Apr 29, 2015

I didn't add the jalapeno peppers as my family doesn't like a lot of heat so maybe that's why it tasted a little bland to us. Next time I would add a packet of chili seasoning to the meat to give the dish a little more flavor.
mkaskela

Jan 25, 2015

Lots of heat and turns out perfect! I used the max for all of the ingredients and instead of ground turkey I used ground venison.
mumsay

Dec 31, 2014

Yummers! I used the lesser amounts of the seasonings and only 1 jalapeno. I also used ground beef and pasta shells. My husband sprinkled Greek seasoning over his portion and it was great. Will make again and try Greek seasoning in the entire recipe and the full amounts of all ingredients.
falknermimi

Aug 17, 2014

I made a few substitutions, I use ground beef, regular macaroni, pinto beans instead of black beans and only used one jalapeno pepper, and it turned out pretty good. I also added 1 cup of cheese instead of 3/4 cup. Will make again.
hbaseley

Aug 7, 2014

So good! We served with the Quick Avocado Tomato salad and it was a terrific meal.I made as directed, except used Ronzoni Smart Taste, instead of whole wheat. Since my kids were also eating this I only used the minimum recommended amounts (2 jalapenos, 2 tsp of chili powder and 1 TBS of (Franks) hot sauce); it was a perfect compromise on heat. We did dollop with light sour cream and liked it better with it than without. Also, the recipe did not specify, so I used 99% lean turkey and did not miss the fat.