Cheesy Chili Mac

I was looking for a new recipe the other night. Chili sounded good, but I really wanted a comfort food. (It's been a tough week, y'all!) Thus was born Cheesy Chili Mac. Remember the bechamel sauce from earlier this week? We will add some cheese to it for this recipe, making a lovely mornay sauce. Everyone ate it up.

I was sure that by using ground beef, the recipe would work out to more than $1 per serving. However, by mixing the mac & cheese with the meat and beans, it made 8 generous servings. It made a great lunch.

Again, to save time, you could use canned or frozen beans and canned tomatoes, but your cost per serving would be slightly higher. I also use individual spices in lieu of chili powder. I eyeball it and add to taste salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and coriander.

CHEESY CHILI MAC

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 c pinto or red beans, soaked and cooked according to package directions
4-5 tsp chili powder
1lb elbow macaroni
Bechamel sauce (recipe link above)
2 cups shredded cheddar

• Start a large pot of salted water to boil; In a skillet, cook the ground beef and onion on medium heat until the beef is no longer pink, breaking up with a wooden spoon as you go. Add tomatoes, beans, and spices; Stir to combine; Continue to cook over low heat, stirring occasionally.
• Put macaroni into the boiling water. Make the bechamel sauce. Remove from heat and add cheese; Stir until completely combined; Drain macaroni and return it to the pot; Add sauce to the macaroni; Add beef mixture to pot; Stir to combine.

Price breakdown:

Beef $2.47 (on sale)
Beans 30¢
Tomatoes FREE from my garden
Onion 30¢
Spices 10¢
Macaroni $1
Mornay sauce $2.75
TOTAL $6.82

Price per serving 85¢