I am not a good couponer. I admire those of you who are good with coupons and can walk out of the grocery store with $100 of groceries for only $8.46. I’ve tried – believe me, I’ve tried. Twice now, I’ve subscribed to the newspaper and diligently collected the coupons. I read the websites, see all the deals, but do you know what happens? I end up with shelves full of ingredients I don’t usually cook with. After the first time of couponing, I swore to myself that I would only buy things that I normally use. But I fell victim again. Sometimes, when you get such a good deal, you can’t help but walk out of the grocery store with a cart full of instant mashed potatoes and Pasta Roni. Or cans of chili.
Now, there times that I use a good can of chili. Have you ever had a Frito Pie? They remind me of going to baseball games growing up. And even though you could really make a better chili for Frito Pie at home, sometimes you just need to make it easy. But with the amount of cans of chili I have right now, I could be eating Frito Pie once a week for several months to come. And I got tired of looking at them. So I decided to start looking for another way to use them. This recipe, in one form or another, came up over and over and over again. Seems like it’s actually quite popular. I’ve always said that I’m not a food snob, and this dish right here proves that. Pasta, canned chili, covered with cheese. If I were a food snob, there’s no way this would be making a showing on my blog! Guess what – I kind of liked it. And Abbi loved it. So much that I may just make it for her again one day!
Now I just need to figure out what to do with the rest of my cans of chili…
Pecos Pasta
slightly adapted from Worldwide Ward Cookbook
Serves 6
total time: 30 minutes
1 7-oz. package elbow macaroni (2 c. uncooked)
1 tablespoon butter
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 15-oz. cans chili with beans
20 – 24 oz. frozen corn
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add green pepper and onion; cook until tender but do not brown. Add chili, corn, seasoned salt, and pepper. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in cooked macaroni and top with cheese. Cover and heat on low for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
eatme_delicious says
I wonder if there are more coupons to be had in the states than in Canada or if I'm just a terrible couponer!! This pasta looks yummy – nice and comforting.
Val says
I try to use coupons and love when I save a good amount of money with them, but lately I've gotten too lazy to use them – it just makes the shopping trip longer and more annoying!!
I made almost the same recipe as yours a couple of months ago and my family (definitely not food snobs!) loved it. The only real difference was that it called for extra ground beef on top of what was already in the chili. Next time I make it, I plan to top it off with some chopped tomato and sliced black olives and green onions. Definitely a hearty, homey meal!! Love your blog!
Memória says
What a yummy-looking, quick dish! I'll be trying this out very soon.
Valerie says
This looks really easy. Yay!
Julie says
This looks like something we would really like around here! I suck at couponing, but my MIL is the queen. I admire her skeelz.
Tia says
i love couponing! but not so much chili… this does look tasty though, and no food snobbery here!
grace says
hey, i'm all over this. simple, down-home comfort food, and on the cheap. good stuff, deborah!
teresa says
i stopped couponing a long time ago for the exact same reason. i just didn't need ten boxes of hamburger helper! this looks wonderful though, i love the flavors in this dish.
Kim says
Sometimes I'm good with coupons, but most of the time I'm not. In fact, I just threw away several dollars worth of coupons that I actually should have used. Oh well!! It's tough to find the time when you're a parent, ya know?
The pasta looks delicious to me! My mom makes a chili dip (you may have had it before). In an 8 x 8 pan you spread in 8 oz cream cheese, then 2 -(3oz.) cans green chiles), one or two cans of chili, and top with cheese. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and it is warm through. We love the dip, which is even better the next day. It is a big hit at potlucks and such, but can be too addictive to keep around the house on it's own. You can also add in veggies and customize it. Good luck eating up your chili 😀
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
A great way of preparing elbow macaroni! A nice week day meal!
Cheers,
Rosa
TheKeilShpeel says
This looks good and easy.. I'm haven't figure out couponing either.. I'll have to try this one night.
Pam says
I saw on the news last night about the woman who had around $155 worth of groceries and with her coupons her total cost was around $.48! Can't imagine. I use them once in a while and need to take lessons from her. I think she actually gives a class on "couponing." Great pasta dish you have!
kat says
I so rarely use coupons myself unless I know its one of the things I regularly use. I tend to just watch for instore sales like buy 1 get 1 on our regular purchases
Kitten with a Whisk says
I've been doing the coupon thing for a while now, and I only clip what I know I will use and once in a while something new I want to try. Its a lot of work though!
Mandy says
Oh gosh, I was feeling like the only one who can't coupon. Disaster. But thanks for the recipe, it looks like one my husband will love.
Joanne says
I am an awful couponer as well. I'm much better at just watching the sales and planning my menus around them. Otherwise I end up with jars upon jars of ingredients that I'll never use.
This pasta looks delicious though! Definitely a good weeknight meal and PERFECT for kids.