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A spicy ground beef and pasta casserole that can be made with any pasta. But to cut carbs, this chili mac recipe used low carb macaroni.
I had a craving for pasta and I just happened to have a bag of low carb elbows in the pantry claiming to be low carb. Most of the carbs in this low carb pasta are indigestible so each serving is stated to have 4g of carbs.
I’m not sure how true it is so I don’t eat low carb pasta very often. However, it is a nice thing to have in the house for those times when comfort food cravings kick in.
As most of you may know, I’m a big fan of casseroles and spicy food. So, I made a low carb macaroni chili mac recipe with ground beef and Mexican spices.
This dish reminds me of the hamburger helper meals I used to make in my college apartment. Of course, that was back in my high carb days when I ate a lot of unhealthy processed foods.
Both of my kids enjoyed the casserole and didn’t even question if it was low carb. It tasted just like the regular thing to them.
I was happy to sneak in some extra fiber without them knowing it by using the low carb macaroni. I’m thinking I should make it more often since it’s got to be better than the high glycemic pasta they usually eat.
This chili mac recipe can be tweaked to your liking. I used a Mexican blend of finely shredded cheese which contained mild cheddar, Monterey jack, queso quesadilla and asadero cheese.
I also used spice packets from a chili kit so the amounts are estimates. I really liked this casserole and will make it again. However, I’ll probably use shirataki ziti noodles which I know have negligible carbs.
If you aren’t familiar with shirataki pasta, it’s made from konjac which is primarily fiber.
A lot of people don’t like to use shiratake because it doesn’t have the same texture as regular pasta. Instead, it’s a bit rubbery and slimy. And, it doesn’t smell very good right out of the package.
However, I’d urge you to give it a try. I find the smell and texture do improve when it’s properly prepared. The best method is dry roasting the shiratake noodles dry before using.
But, if you have tried shiratake and just can’t make it work for you, there are other options. There are a couple companies that offer better tasting low carb pasta like this one. However, they usually aren’t gluten free.
Chili Mac Recipe with Low Carb Macaroni
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Chili Mac with Low Carb Macaroni
Ingredients
- 2 cups low carb elbows cooked and drained, I prefer shiratake
- 1 pound ground beef
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 cups shredded cheese a Mexican blend is perfect
Instructions
- Cook ground beef with onion and garlic in large skillet over medium heat; pour off drippings. Add tomatoes, and the remaining seasoning; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Toss pasta with meat mixture. Spoon half of mixture into a 9×9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese; top with remaining meat mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese on top. Cover with foil; bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven 25 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
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Lisa MarcAurele has been creating keto friendly recipes since 2010. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites!
James says
Do you think this would be fine with the spaghetti shiratake?
Lisa says
I’ve made it with shiratake and it comes out pretty good if you like those low carb noodles. Some people just can’t get past the texture of shiratake.
Emily Kemp says
Love the sound of this!
Kary Hartmann says
how many servings does this make
Lisa says
I get 9 large pieces.
Erika says
Is the ingredients list correct on the chili powder and salt? I did one TBS of chili powder and half what it says for salt and it’s very strong.
Lisa says
It may have been 4 teaspoons. That does seem to be a bit much. As for the salt, 1/2 teaspoons should be plenty.
Ken says
How do you dry roast the the shirataki noodles ?
Lisa says
The instructions for dry roasting are in this post.