One-Pot Wonder: Cheesy chili pasta is the comfort food mashup of your dreams

Making a delicious dinner for your family doesn’t have to be a struggle. This vegetarian and gluten-free dinner hits the table in just 35 minutes, making it easy enough for a busy weeknight.

Bonus: You need only one pot for this hearty dinner. Meatless chili is combined with cooked quinoa pasta and cheese for a super-easy and super-delicious comfort food mashup.

Just jazz up your favorite canned vegetarian chili with extra seasonings and some diced green chili peppers, and you’re almost done. (Using a good-quality canned chili in this recipe will save time, but you can certainly make homemade if you desire.)

For a little extra pop, you can easily add a cool, creamy spoonful of sour cream along with a garnish of parsley. Dinner is served.

One-pot cheesy veggie chili pasta recipe

This one-pot-pasta-meets-chili meal comes together easily and is not only filling but completely vegetarian and gluten-free.

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

For the chili pasta

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa macaroni-shaped pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
• 2 veggie burgers, crumbled (I used Gardenburgers)
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 2 (15 ounce) cans vegetarian chili
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used a mix of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses)
• Fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the quinoa pasta, and cook as directed on the package, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Once cooked, drain the pasta, and set it aside.
4. To the same pot, add the oil, crumbled veggie burgers and onions. Cook for 5 minutes uncovered, until the veggie burgers start to crisp and the onions become translucent.
5. To the same pot, add both cans of the vegetarian chili, the garlic powder and green chilies.
6. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes.
7. Stir in the cooked pasta and 1 cup of the shredded cheese, and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
8. Remove from the heat, top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
9. Best served warm.

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