Josh's Four-Way Chili

This colorful recipe is a modified version of my mom's chili that I grew up on. It is called 4 way because of the four steps to making your plate: spaghetti first, then crushed crackers, next cheese, and finally the chili. I added the peppers, but the recipe is still great (and faster) without them. To heat things up, just add hot sausage and/or hot chili seasoning packs instead of mild. It is an off-beat recipe that I am sure you will love!

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 454 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 2 (1.25 ounce) packages chili seasoning mix
• 1 pound mild pork sausage
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 (4 ounce) packet saltine crackers

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Crumble the ground beef and pork sausage into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until browned. Drain, and set aside.

Step 2

Coat a large pot with cooking spray, and add the green, red and yellow bell peppers, and onion. Cook over medium heat until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the beef and sausage to the peppers. Puree the stewed tomatoes using a blender or food processor, and stir them into the pot along with the chili seasoning. Mix in the pinto beans, and heat to a simmer.

Step 3

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the angel hair pasta, and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain.

Step 4

When serving the chili, place the items on your plate in the following order: Start with pasta, then crush some saltine crackers, then some shredded cheese, and then chili. Mix it all up and enjoy! Caution, if you are not careful with your portions, you will end up with a helping too huge to finish.