Yesterday, I made the best chili mac I think I’ve ever had. Yes, the slow cooker chili was made from a recipe. That alone turned out great, but I expected as much. What I didn’t do was add the elbow macaroni noodles to the pot. Instead, I cooked the pasta separately. This allowed it to keep that perfect al dente bite. I then laid a helping of pasta in each bowl and spooned chili over the top.

The result was perfection, as the pasta had the texture and flavor that one only gets when pasta is cooked on it’s own. Blending that with the fresh chili and topping with shredded sharp cheddar was so delicious. Although, the awesomeness could also have been derived from my choice of salsa for the chili, a nice gourmet chipotle salsa. After all, the recipe wasn’t specific about which salsa to use, and I’ve been on a chipotle kick for a while now. Either way, I learned a valuable lesson about how I work with pasta. It kind of makes me feel silly for ever trusting my appetite to Hamburger Helper all those years. Enjoy!