Baked mac & cheese chili

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and add pasta; cook roughly 7-8 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup pasta water and drain pasta. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

3. Using the same large pot, wipe dry and heat over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat up. Add ground beef and break it up in pieces to brown. Once browned, remove from pot and discard drippings. Set beef aside.

4. Add remaining oil to the same large pot and return to medium heat until warm. Add onions, zucchini, green pepper, chili powder, and cumin; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and begin to brown. Add in your garlic for another minute or so.

5. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beans, brown sugar, reserved 3/4 cup pasta water and beef to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until flavors have blended.

6. Stir in the cooked pasta, 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (I used about 1 cup) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to a 9x13 baking dish and smooth over with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling. YUM.

7. Remove from oven and sprinkle the top of the dish with the remaining shredded cheese. Return the dish once again in the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese begins to melt and brown. Let set 10 minutes before serving.