Saturday Recipe Swap: Cheesy Chili Casserole

I am finding myself to be a casserole and crock pot type girl.  Anything that I can prepare early in the day and not have to worry about later works well for me.  This is a dish I made last Wednesday for Brian and Dad and was a huge hit.  I was able to make it and put it together in the early afternoon and put it in the over 30 minutes before I knew Dad was going to arrive.  This would be great served with Cornbread Pudding!

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (6 oz.)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
Water
8 slices American cheese
1 can (15 oz) mild chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350* F.  Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, chop bell pepper and onion.  Cook and stir ground beef, bell pepper, and onion over medium heat 6-7 minutes or until beef is no longer pink.  Drain.  Add taco seasoning mix and amount of water listed on package directions.  Continue cooking according to package directions.
3. Chop a few slices of the cheese.  Combine chopped cheese, macaroni, seasoned meat mixture, chili beans, tomatoes, corn and salt.  Mix well.  Spoon pasta mixture into a casserole dish.
4. Bake 30 minutes.  Top with remaining cheese.  Continue baking 1-2 minutes or until cheese just begins to melt.

Yields 8 servings