I think one of the greatest misconceptions about me being a food blogger is that I love to cook every single meal every single day. Don’t get me wrong, I love food, I love cooking, I love the connections that come with it, but really, just like anyone else, my motivation waxes and wanes and there are nights when Domino’s (or that box of Cheerios) is realllly appealing.
This is one of my favorite meals for those busy nights when I don’t feel like cooking and I don’t feel like fighting my kids. It’s super quick. I almost always have all the ingredients in my fridge/freezer/pantry. My kids and husband absolutely love it. It’s low in calories and high in protein (not-so-quick note about that–I entered this using the Weight Watchers recipe builder and the points were about what I thought they would be. Then I entered it on My Fitness Pal and the calories were VERY high; when I used those calories to calculate the points, it was about 3 times the original amount. Puzzled, I used a handful of other calorie calculators and they were all much lower. So. If you enter this into My Fitness Pal and you’re confused about why the information is so off, I ran into the same problem. While I’m not sure what’s going on over there, I’m confident the information I’m including is accurate.)
To get started, chop a medium onion, a medium bell pepper (any color), and 3-4 cloves of garlic.
Heat a 12″ skillet that has a lid over medium heat. Add 1 pound of extra-lean ground beef
and cook, stirring frequently, until about halfway cooked. Add onions, garlic, and pepper as well chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper
and cook until the meat is cooked through and the onions are tender.
Add 2 cups of V8 juice,
8 ounces of tomato sauce, and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add 8 ounces of macaroni-ish pasta…
and stir to combine and then cover, reduce heat, and cook for 15-ish minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Add a can of drained pinto beans…
and heat through. Remove from heat, sprinkle with shredded cheese,
and replace the lid for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with onions and chopped cilantro (if desired) and serve immediately.
Stovetop Chili Mac Casserole
- Total Time: 40
Description
A quick and easy meal your whole family will love that’s under 300 calories per serving, low in fat, and high in protein!
Ingredients
1 lb. extra-lean (93%) ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
3–4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups V8 juice
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
8 ounces macaroni or other small pasta
1 can pinto beans, drained
4 ounces cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped green or red onions
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
Heat a 12″ skillet that has a lid over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until about halfway cooked. Add onions, garlic, and pepper as well as the seasonings and cook until the meat is cooked through and the onions are tender.
Add the V8 juice, tomato sauce, and water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and stir to combine and then cover, reduce heat, and cook for 15-ish minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Add the beans and heat through. Remove from heat, sprinkle with cheese, and replace the lid for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with onions and serve immediately.
Notes
- NUTRITION
- Calories: 282
- Fat: 8.2
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Carbs: 26.3
- Sugars: 3.5
- Fiber: 2.3
- Protein: 24.8
- Weight Watchers Smart Points: 7
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
