Comfort food at its best, this Tex-Mex Chili Mac is brimming with flavor! Tender macaroni, hearty beans, wholesome veggies, all simmering in your favorite Southwestern flavors for a dish that just won’t quit. This one-pot wonder is sure to have the entire family running to the dinner table.  A fabulous Whole Food Plant Based recipe, vegan, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.

Hi!  Robin here!

You know me – I simply can’t get enough Southwestern food!  I look for every opportunity to dress up any recipe with a Southwestern flair. I had been working on a Hungarian Goulash off and on over the past several months; I keep tweaking the recipe and tweaking it some more, trying to get it just right.

But then one day, I took a few twists and turns and decided “well hey, maybe what I really want is a Southwestern “goulash” and this yummy dish was born.

After several kitchen tests, I was in Tex Mex Chili Mac heaven!  This dish is deeeee-lish, if I do say so myself!

Arizona Highways

My grandfather (my mom’s dad) lived in Arizona (Tucson) most of his life.  I never got to meet him as he died at a young age.  He had diabetes, which really impacted the quality of his life, and indeed truly shortened it.

When my grandfather passed, he left my mom with an amazing array of beautiful turquoise stones, rustic copper pieces, a few baskets, some fun Southwestern trinkets; and a lifetime subscription (or so it seemed) to the magazine Arizona Highways.

As a kid, I remember running to the mailbox in anticipation of the Arizona Highways magazine where my sister, Mary, and I would gush over each picturesque page and dream of someday visiting this beautiful state.

I have not had the opportunity yet, but my sister and her husband took a road trip several years ago to visit Arizona for the first time.  She stated that the majesty and beauty of the Grand Canyon took her breath away; she cried as she shared that nothing could have possibly prepared her for the sheer wonder of color, expansive space, and tranquility.  It was a humbling experience for her.

I followed her journey vicariously through her Facebook page as she posted daily pictures of their trip. I was so elated for her that she finally got to visit and witness firsthand the magnificence of Arizona’s Grand Canyon and all her other gorgeous views.

Someday I will get there, possibly when I retire.

Love of all things Southwestern

Perhaps my Arizona dreaming is where my love of all Southwestern foods comes from, or maybe I just have a predisposition to enjoy these foods; who knows, I just know I love me a great Tex Mex meal.

I love the authentic food as well.  Monkey and I visited McAllen, Texas a few years back for a bellydance workshop where we stopped for some authentic Tex Mex food, and it knocked my socks off.  I fell in love all over again.

Southwestern food is about the easiest cuisine for transitioning into the Whole Food Plant Based realm. The flavors are pure and simple and do not require a ton of extras to make it taste great.

This Tex Mex Chili Mac has a delicious profile of flavor that is out-of-this-world delicious.  I only had to tweak it a little to get it just right. I could eat it every day.  Monkey loved it too!

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.

Ameera here!

I wasn’t surprised when Mom’s Hungarian Goulash suddenly took a “southern” turn and became a Tex Mex Chili Mac.  She simply can’t help herself.  If you are a regular reader of our blog, then you know what I am talking about.  LOL

This dish is so flavorful and tasty, you are going to love it.  One of the things that I really love about this recipe is that the macaroni cooks right in the sauce, no extra pan needed, not to mention it makes enough for seconds and possibly a little extra for lunch the next day.  Soooo good!

We scarfed it down.  Dad loved it too.  As most of you know Katie loves a great Southwestern dish too.  Chris, Katie, and Charlotte are visiting next week so we are totally making this especially for her. We just know she is gonna love it.  We hope you give it a try and love it too!

Products Used:

• 6-quart or 8-quart ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similar large stock pot with a tight-fitting lid (tight-fitting lid is not required)

Tex-Mex Chili Mac

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x
• Category: Dinner

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Description

Comfort food at its best, this Tex-Mex Chili Mac is brimming with flavor! Tender macaroni, hearty beans, wholesome veggies, all simmering in your favorite Southwestern flavors for a dish that just won’t quit. This one-pot wonder is sure to have the entire family running to the dinner table.  A fabulous Whole Food Plant Based recipe, vegan, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no processed ingredients.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 large yellow onion, fine dice
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced (use 2 if the jalapeños are mild)
• 2 heaping Tablespoon finely minced garlic (approx. 8 cloves)
• 4 cups organic tomato juice
• 1 cup veggie broth (we used Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth) *
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder (regular/mild)
• 2 teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste) *
• 2 cups pasta of choice, uncooked (we used gluten free elbow macaroni)
• 1 – 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 – 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 to 1 ½ cups frozen corn, thawed (+/-)
• 2 teaspoons 100% organic maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

Optional Topper Ingredients:

• Avocado chunks/slices
• Green onions or red onion, chopped
• Tomatoes, chopped
• Cilantro
• Jalapenos, sliced
• Mini sweet peppers, sliced into thin rings
• Whole Food Plant Based-Vegan “Sour Cream”

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Instructions

1. Prepare all your dry seasonings/spice mixture (onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, chipotle powder, smoked paprika and sea salt) into a small bowl and mix well.  Set aside.
2. In a large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven/pot or similarly large stockpot, add the diced onion, red and green bell peppers, and jalapeno pepper(s). Sauté over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes to soften them.  Add a splash of water if they start to stick. 
3. Once the onions and peppers are softened, then turn down the heat a little, and add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
4. Then add the spice mixture over top of the sautéed veggies, stir, and heat the spices to release their fragrance, about one minute. Stirring the spices constantly.
5. Next add the 4 cups of tomato juice and 1 cup of vegetable broth and increase the heat to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Stir to incorporate everything.
6. After the mixture is heated, add the pasta, stir to incorporate, and cook until the pasta is about half-way done, then add the beans and corn, and continue to cook.
7. When the pasta is nearly done, remove from the heat, stir in the nutritional yeast and maple syrup, and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid for 5 minutes. Note: If you do not have a tight-fitting lid, then just continue to cook until the pasta reaches the desired tenderness, (and skip step 8 below).
8. After 5 minutes, test the pasta. If the pasta has not reached the desired tenderness, then cover the pot with the lid again for another few minutes until the pasta reaches the desired tenderness. 
9. Serve with your favorite toppings.

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Notes

*Vegetable Stock:  We use Pacific Organic Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.

*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Serving:  Makes 6-8 servings.

*Storage: Refrigerate and use within one week.

 

Storage: Refrigerate and use within one week.

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.