One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese is the ultimate in belly filling comfort food. Perfect for serving a crowd or a large family, this recipe will warm you right up.
One Pot Chili Mac
The first time I made chili mac for dinner, Jackson (4 years old at the time) looked at me over his bowl and said "this is the best dinner I ever had!" He meant it too. This dish is on the same comfort level as Chicken and Dumplings, Macaroni and Cheese, and my Big Batch Chicken Noodle Soup. This is a dinner your entire family will love, and as for again.
Chili Mac Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Beef - you can also use ground turkey but I like the classic flavor of beef for this recipe the best.
- Onion & Garlic - classic aromatics for any chili!
- Spices - chili powder, ground cumin, salt and black pepper.
- Tomato Sauce - canned plain tomato sauce gives this dish a thick saucy consistency.
- Tomatoes - I use petite canned diced tomatoes and they work really well.
- Beans - you can use either black or pinto beans for this recipe.
- Chicken Broth - or stock! You can use either if you have a brand you love.
- Olive Oil - to cook in.
- Macaroni Noodles - without the noodles it would only be chili!
All the Chili Spices
This recipe basically starts out very similarly to my Turkey Black Bean Chili in terms of ingredient and flavor and all of the spices remain the same. Cumin, Chili Powder, Salt and Pepper and plenty of freshly minced garlic. If you aren't making this dish for young kids, you can add in Cayenne to kick it up a notch! I love spicy but I usually have to tone it down for the twins.
One Pot Dinner
One pot dinners really are a thing of beauty and I have far too few on this blog. For this chili mac, I start by sautéing the beef, onion and garlic together in a large dutch oven. Then the rest of the ingredients go in and lastly the noodles get cooked right in the chili broth. Easy peasy!
How to Make Chili Mac and Cheese
- Sauteé - start by sautéing onion, garlic and ground beef in a little bit of olive oil until it's browned.
- Spices - add in the spices and cook to bloom for about 30 seconds.
- Tomatoes & Beans - next drop in all of the canned tomatoes, beans and chicken broth.
- Macaroni - once the chili has come to a simmer, drop in the pasta and cook until al dente!
- Cheese - stir in the cheese and get ready for your mouth to water.
Chili Mac Variations
- Meat - you can substitute any ground meat your family likes for the beef! Ground turkey, chicken or even ground lamb would be delicious!
- Spices - if you want to kick up the spice in this dish, try adding ¼ teaspoon - ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. You can also add a can of diced green chilies.
- Veggies - I don't add much in the way of veggies to my chili mac, I'm a purest like that, but many people will add green bell pepper! You could also throw in some frozen corn with the pasta.
- Toppings - I serve this chili mac with sour cream and fresh avocado for the kids. John and I like it with hot sauce. You can also serve this with crushed Frito's corn chips or tortilla chips on top!
More Comfort Food Recipes!
Want more delicious, stick to your ribs comfort food? I've got you covered.
- Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Turkey Black Bean Chili
- Instant Pot Corned Beef
- Chicken and Dumplings
- Mini Chicken Pot Pies
- Chicken Chile Pasilla Pasta Casserole
- Creamy Baked Sausage Rigatoni
Cheesy One Pot Chili Mac
Cheesy One Pot Chili Mac is the ultimate in belly filling comfort food. Perfect for serving a crowd or a large family, this recipe will warm you right up.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 8 oz cans tomato sauce
- 2 15 oz cans black beans (or pinto beans), drained
- 1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, un-drained
- 1 32 oz chicken broth
- 3 cups small macaroni noodles
- 1 cup shredded Mexican Blend Cheese, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Coat a large dutch oven or pot with a couple of swirls of olive oil (about 1 Tablespoon) and place over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, onion and minced garlic and cook until beef is browned, breaking up with a wooden spoon to crumble.
- Add chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and cook stirring for about 30 seconds.
- Add canned tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, drained beans and chicken broth.
- Bring to a good simmer.
- Add in the macaroni noodles and continue to cook and stir regularly scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to prevent noodles from sticking. Cook about 10 minutes or until noodles are al dente.
- Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese.
- Serve topped with sour cream, sliced avocado, fresh parsley and more shredded cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 457Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 1008mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 12gSugar: 5gProtein: 33g