Is it chili?  Is it pasta?  What is it?  It’s a one pot wonder, that’s what it is!  Thanks again to the fabulous Kraft Food and Family magazine for having a recipe like this one in their September issue.  I tweaked this just a tad…but let me tell you…it’s fabulous. 

Simple.  Fast.  Hearty.  Crowd pleasing.  One Pot.

Shopping List

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder (or a packet of Taco seasoning would work too)

1 cup water

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 cup salsa

1 cup elbow or shell pasta (I used whole wheat but you use what you like) uncooked

1 cup Sharp Cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

In one heavy skillet, brown your ground beef over medium-high heat.  Once brown and crumbled, add in your onion and saute about 5 minutes.  Stir in remaining ingredients except for the cheese (including your uncooked pasta), mix well and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Uncover, stir and then continue simmering uncovered 8 minutes.

Serve and top with cheese.

That’s it!  We ate it up over here.  And when it was over…I only had one pan to clean.  That’s the good life.