My husband LOVES Chili Mac–especially if we are working hard out in the yard on one of his HORRIBLE projects. When I make it, I make a huge batch and put most of it in the freezer. Here’s the recipe:
Cathy’s Hot Dog Chili
5 lbs lean hamburger (you can substitute some ground turkey if desired)
2 large onions finely chopped (you can use the food processor and almost make it a puree)
3 cans chili beans
28 oz can tomato puree
5 or 6 tbsp chili powder
Garlic salt to taste (I used about 3 tsp)
Heat a large dutch oven on the stove and add about 1 1/2 cups of water. Add the hamburger to the pot. As the hamburger cooks, use a spatula and break it into small pieces–you don’t want a chunky chili for this application. Once the hamburger is cooked, add the onion to the pot. You want to cook most of the water out. Once the water has mostly evaporated, put the chili beans in the food processor and puree them until smooth. Add the beans and tomatoes to the pot and bring up to temperature. Add the chili powder and the garlic salt to the mixture and stir. Remove from heat and correct seasoning as needed.
I do not make this spicy because of how we use it, but you certainly could do that. I serve this with hotdogs to make chili dogs–my favorite way to eat hotdogs. Or I mix a generous amount with cooked pasta and add finely shredded cheese and fresh chopped onions for chili mac. It’s also great to top nachos with this and all your other toppings because the pureed beans make it stick to the chips unlike the typical taco meat.
Cathy At Home on the River 