Chili Mac — The One That Travels, The One That Heals

Destiny has her first job. She started Monday at the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources—child protective services, the hardest work, the work where you walk into houses where children are not safe and you have to both document the harm and carry the child's story home with you at the end of the day. She called me Wednesday evening after her third day and she said, "Mama, it's hard," and I said, "I know, baby," and she said, "No, I mean it's really hard," and I said, "I know. It's supposed to be hard. The hard is where you're most needed," and she was quiet for a moment and then she said, "I'm going to be good at this," and I said, "Baby, you already are."

I made her a care package. This is what I do when my children are in a hard place: I make food and I send it. In this case, Destiny lives close enough to drive it over, which I did on Saturday. I packed a container of mac and cheese—always—and fried chicken that travels well, and a small jar of my strawberry preserves that I put up last month from the end of the berry season, and a pound cake, and a note that said: You are feeding people every day. Let me feed you. Eat this. Go back tomorrow. That is all that is required.

She texted me Sunday evening: "Mama the mac and cheese. The mac and cheese." I said: "I know, baby." Some things transcend words. The mac and cheese is one of them. Marcus knew. Destiny knows. Calvin knows. The congregation knows. Soon enough the whole city is going to know, if Sister Aisha has anything to say about it, and she does. She always does.

I couldn’t send Destiny the exact mac she grew up on without including something with a little more weight to it — something that would stick to her ribs through the long afternoons and the longer drives home. Chili mac is what I make when I need the food to do double duty: it’s the mac she loves, but it’s also a meal, a full meal, the kind that says I thought about your whole day, not just your appetite. This is the one that travels. This is the one I send when the work is hard and the worker needs feeding all the way through.

Chili Mac

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Sour cream and sliced green onions, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. In a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain excess fat.
2. Cook the vegetables. Add the diced onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
3. Season and build the sauce. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Add the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Stir everything together and bring to a boil.
4. Cook the pasta. Add the uncooked elbow macaroni directly to the skillet. Stir well, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Simmer for 12–14 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid.
5. Add the cheese. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheddar until melted and smooth. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, cover for 2 minutes to melt, then serve hot.
6. Pack and serve. Spoon into containers for care packages, or serve straight from the pot topped with sour cream and green onions.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 490 | Protein: 31g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 49g | Fiber: 6g | Sodium: 720mg