next Q – I’m planning on just adding store bought chili to the meat and macaroni of this recipe. Is the cornstarch slaw necessary in this case?

Yes, absolutely. I would recommend waiting to add the cheese (if you’re using it) until after you reheat it–since a lot of the water will be absorbed during the soak, you’re more likely to run into issues with the cheese sticking to the bottom of the pot. Adding it in towards the end of the cooking process will help prevent that and make cleanup a bit easier. Let us know how it goes!