Homemade Chili Mac

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the macaroni according to package instructions.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter with flour in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, until golden. Slowly whisk in the milk, breaking up any lumps. Let the mixture cook over low/medium heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

3. While the milk is heating, brown the ground turkey in a saute pan. When it is mostly cooked through, drain any fat, then add the chili powder, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, celery salt, cumin, ketchup, and 3/4 cup warm water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat so that it simmers.

4. In a liquid measuring cup, mix the cornstarch with the 1/4 cup cold water until smooth. Add to the meat mixture, stirring to coat all the meat (I usually do a taste test here to see if it needs any additional salt or pepper). Once the meat mixture is thickened, turn off the heat and set it aside.

5. When the milk mixture has thickened, gradually add the cheese, stirring well to avoid clumps. Add the salt, then turn off the heat. The cheese sauce will probably be a little on the thin side, but that’s OK.

6. Once the macaroni is cooked through, drain it and return it to the large pot. Stir in the cheese sauce and meat mixture. Serve and (hopefully) enjoy!