Chilli Mac and Cheese

Dishing up the Chilli Mac and Cheese at a potluck. Like most dishes, this mac-and-cheese is best enjoyed in good company. Or while watching Modern Family at 1am in your dorm room (never happened).

Up close and personal

I'll admit to having only tried Macaroni and Cheese after having moved to the States two years ago. I know, I'm a bloody disgrace, but permit me to explain. This is beyond silly, but until recently, I was convinced the only way macaroni and cheese was consumed was out of a box, manufactured by Kraft, and 'consumable' after 2 minutes in a microwave. I know that was a closed-minded analysis of the potential of macaroni and its dairyful* brother, but I was a naïve youngster, and it was only when I ate out at a restaurant in Providence, RI and sampled a friend's order of homemade macaroni and cheese, that I could truly appreciate this dish in all its glory.

To cut a long story short, while I've since grown fond of good, wholesome, homemade macaroni and cheese, I do wish that it had a little more nutritious substance. With the fat of the cheese and the starch of the pasta, it'll never be a superfood or a notably 'healthy' dish, but adding some vegetables, beans and a hearty tomato sauce can make much more of a meal out of this, not to mention making it thrice as flavourful than your average macaroni-and-cheese fare.

Serves 6-8, or one very bored person who watches too much Netflix

Ingredients:
1lb box of dried macaroni elbows
500ml of cold water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 gloves of garlic, crushed
1 425g can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 400g can of tomato sauce or passata - no herbs/spices added
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cilantro
⅔ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 vegetable stock cube
2 jalapeño peppers, deseeded and chopped (use only one if you're not a fan of excessive spice)
1 green bell pepper
8-or-so button mushrooms, sliced or quartered according to your mushroom shape preference
½ cup sweetcorn - fresh, frozen or canned
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Method:
Warm the olive oil in a large stockpot on a low heat, and add all the vegetables and garlic. Cover and allow to soften for 7 minutes.

Add the box of macaroni, the jalapeños, the sauce and the spices. Turn up the heat and bring to a rolling boil. After the mixture has begun to boil, add the water and the stock cube and reduce to a medium heat. Allow to simmer for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vast majority of the water has evaporated.

Check to see if the pasta is cooked to your liking. If you like softer pasta, add 100-200ml more water and allow to cook for around 5 more minutes. Once the pasta has just about reached your desired texture, lower the heat considerably.

Stir in the drained black beans to the mixture, and heat through. This should take less than 2 minutes.

Stir in the mozzarella cheese and serve immediately. An alternative to stirring in the grated mozzarella is to sprinkle the cheese over individual servings, which I find works just as well. The latter tactic is a nice way to use the mozzarella as a garnish, while accommodating dairy-hating guests, who get a veganized option by simply refusing the garnish.

*dairyful was not a word until I literally just invented it now