SLOW COOKER VEGETARIAN CHEESY CHILI MAC WITH OPTIONAL GROUND BEEF

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Cheesy Chili Mac with Optional Ground Beef image

Provided by Kare for Kitchen Treaty

Time 9h35m

Number Of Ingredients 14

1 pound 2 - 3 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or one 16-ounce can diced tomatoes)
3 16- ounce cans black (kidney, or chili beans, drained (I like to use a couple different varieties))
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
1 teaspoon fresh garlic (minced)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use 1/2 teaspoon for a milder version)
1 teaspoon oregano OR instead of the cumin (paprika, cayenne pepper, and oregano simply substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder)
8 ounces 1/2 pound macaroni noodles
1 pound cheddar cheese
Add for full-on meat version
1 pound lean ground hamburger
Add for half meat and half vegetarian
1/2 pound lean ground hamburger

Steps:

Combine the tomatoes, beans, onion, garlic, and spices in your Crock Pot. If you're going for the full-on meat version, go ahead and brown your pound of hamburger in a separate frying pan, drain, and add that now, too. You'll add meat later if you're going half veggie/half carnie.
Cook on low for about 7 - 9 hours. But it's pretty forgiving if you need to cook it for longer.
Boil the macaroni according to package directions, but cut the time short by a minute or so to make sure it's just nice and al dente, or else the noodles might swell up to epic and less appetizing proportions in the finished product.
Stir the macaroni, along with half the cheese, into the Crock Pot with the chili.
For the half veggie/half carnie adaptetarian version, here's where you split it. If you're going all vegetarian or all meat, ignore this step and move on to Step 6. Move half of the cheesy chili maccy goodness into a medium casserole dish. Brown your half pound of hamburger in a separate frying pan, drain it, and stir the hamburger into the mixture in the casserole dish. Sprinkle over the top with half the remaining cheese, and bake the meaty version at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle all the remaining cheese over the Crock Pot mixture, cover with the Crock Pot lid, and cook for another 20 - 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
Now get cozy, and enjoy!