Life in Northwest Indiana definitely has its benefits. Minutes away from the glorious Indiana Dunes. Summertime at the Chesterton European Market. Pierogi Fest. But us "Region Rats" know that lake effect snow is the price you pay for such luxuries. When Chicago gets a few inches of snow, it's not uncommon for us to get whiteout conditions. Ugh!
Most of the time,we only get hit maybe once every winter. However, this year has been particularly nasty. So when it started to snow heavily yet again today-I had to mentally prepare myself for another few days indoors.
Because the roads were really treacherous, my hubby decided to take the South Shore into work today. So I had to prepare something quick for dinner. Luckily, I had some leftover chili to whip up some Chili Mac.
Chili Mac is one of those dishes that I usually make freestyle. To be honest, I don't make it very often because it's probably not the healthiest thing to eat. But comfort food never really is. That's the point. It's made for those times that you want to bundle up on your couch to ignore the snow storm outside.
Although Big Daddy usually hates Macaroni and Cheese, he loves my Chili Mac and thought it might be nice to share it on the blog. So here it is
2 cups leftover homemade chili*
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
8 ounces whole wheat rotini or elbow macaroni
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prep a large casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside
Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, warm the leftover chili in a sauce pan.*You can also use canned chili (15 ounces) as well.
Once the pasta and chili are done, layer them in a sprayed casserole dish with the cheddar cheese. Add chili first, then pasta then top with cheese. The last layer should be chili topped with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove and serve immediately.
Stay warm out there Northwest Indiana. Happy cooking!
