Fayla's Fabulous Food Calendar

3 Alarm Italian Style Chili Mac

Ingredients
1 pound penne pasta or cavatappi (hollow pasta spirals)
Salt
2 tablespoons oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 1/2 pounds hamburger or turkey
2 tablespoons chili powder
Black pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded & chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup beef stock
1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
2 Tablespoons dried basil leaves
2 cups shredded smoked Cheddar or scamorza (smoked aged mozzarella)

Directions
Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Preheat broiler to high.
Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over medium high heat with oil. When oil ripples or smokes, crumble beef or turkey & brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Season the meat with chili powder, salt & pepper. When meat has browned, add onions, peppers & garlic. Cook vegetables until soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add stock & scrape up pan drippings. Stir in crushed tomatoes, simmer sauce 10 minutes & fold in basil. Drain pasta & add to sauce. Toss to combine & transfer to a casserole dish. Cover with cheese & brown under broiler 3 to 4 minutes.