Three-Alarm Italian Style Chili Mac

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

* 1 pound penne pasta or cavatappi (hollow pasta spirals)
* Salt
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
* 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
* 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 palmfuls
* Black pepper
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chopped
* 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
* 3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 cup beef stock
* 1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
* Handful basil leaves, torn
* 2 cups shredded smoked Cheddar or scamorza ( smoked aged mozzarella)

Directions

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Preheat broiler to high.

Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over medium high heat with extra-virgin
olive oil. When oil ripples or smokes, crumble beef and brown, 5 to 6
minutes. Season the meat with chili powder, salt and pepper. When meat
has browned, add onions, peppers and garlic. Cook vegetables until
soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add stock and scrape up pan drippings. Stir in
crushed tomatoes, simmer sauce 10 minutes and fold in basil. Drain
pasta and add to sauce. Toss to combine and transfer to a casserole
dish. Cover with cheese and brown under broiler 3 to 4 minutes.