Lickety-Split: 4-Minute Vegan Chili Mac
4 Ingredients + 4 Minutes = FANTASTIC!
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 take-out. 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 the yummy chili mac and your night off!
Parts & Parcels
- 1 can Vegan Chili, (see tip)
- 1 can Chili Beans, no salt added
- 1 can Rotel, no salt added
- 1 package Elbow Ready Pasta, (see tip and spoiler alert)
This is all you need to make your Chili Mac!
Your grocery store doesn't have Ready Pasta. Amazon does!
Optional Toppings
- Diced avocado
- Vegan shredded cheddary cheez
- Chopped jalepeños
- Chopped onions
- Mustard (Think Chili Cheez Coneyish)
Methods & Madness
- In a saucepan, over medium heat, add all ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Simmer for 3 minutes. Serve. Enjoy!
Add in a tablespoon of cocoa powder while heating, and make it Cincinnati-style!
Tips & Tricks
- Vegan Canned Chili Note that most, if not all, canned "vegetarian" chili is 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 it's place. Two cups 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 13g of fiber per serving, just over half the RDA.
Swap out Ready Rice for the pasta to make this a Gluten-free dish!
Based on one 2 cup serving
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 | |
| Calories | 357 |
| Calories from Fat | 63 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 7 g | 11% |
| Saturated fat 1 g | 5% |
| Unsaturated fat 6 g | |
| Carbohydrates 59 g | 20% |
| Sugar 7 g | |
| Fiber 13 g | 52% |
| Protein 17 g | 34% |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | |
| Sodium 463 mg | 19% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Questions & Answers
© 2017 Stacy Becker