Lickety-Split: 4-Minute Vegan Chili Mac

Recipes so tasty you will want to eat your fill—and so healthy you actually can!

Everyone Deserves a Night Off

I prepare most of the food I eat from scratch most of the time. (Practically a requirement when eating healthy and plant-based.) Sometimes, I really want a break from cooking or am simply crunched for time, and I don't want to resort to less-than-healthy fast food or takeout.

So, I created some super-simple, super-fast recipes I have termed "Lickety-Split" recipes. They use grocery store convenience products that adhere to the nutritional standards I try to live by. While there is still some cooking involved, it is minimal—no more difficult than heating up a plate of leftovers. Enjoy this yummy chili mac and your night off!

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 1 can vegan chili (see tip below)
• 1 can chili beans, no salt added
• 1 can Rotel, no salt added
• 1 package elbow-shaped Ready Pasta (see tip and spoiler alert below)

Optional Toppings

• Diced avocado
• Vegan shredded cheddary cheez
• Chopped jalepeños
• Chopped onions
• Mustard (think Chili Cheez Coney-ish)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, over medium heat, add all ingredients. Stir to combine.
2. Simmer for 3 minutes. Serve. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• Vegan Canned Chili: Note that most, if not all, canned "vegetarian" chilis are actually vegan. I recommend trying either Amy's or Trader Joe's. They are both tofu-based, which complements the chili beans and Rotel nicely.
• Ready Pasta: Fully cooked and shelf stable, Barilla Ready Pasta is a very convenient, time-saving ingredient. You can, of course, use leftover pasta in its place. Two cups of cooked pasta is equivalent to one package.

Spoiler Alert

The Ready Pasta used in this recipe is not whole grain. Currently, Barilla doesn't have a whole grain option in this line. However, in this particular recipe, I feel the convenience factor outweighs the nutritional boon of an additional gram or two of fiber. As is, this recipe has an impressive 13 grams of fiber per serving, just over half the RDA.

© 2017 Stacy Becker