Chili Mac and Cheese tastes like your favourite Chili – with the added cheesy goodness of Mac & Cheese! Sensational ground beef dinner recipe that’s on the table in just over 20 minutes – and it’s all made in one pot. It’s truly fabulously delicious!
On the table in just over 20 minutes, made with beef mince, pasta, beans, canned tomatoes, everyday spices, and some kind of cheese, it’s sinfully scrumptious!
Chili Mac and Cheese
There’s plenty of food mash ups in the world. Like pizza – it seems like there is a pizza-everything: tacos, casserole, dips, soup, pie, pasta, cake.
I’m not above doing mash ups. I’ll do them when combining two recipes brings something else to the dish, rather than doing them just for the sake of being “cool” or “out there”. I’m beyond the years of playing with food for the sake of being trendy, I just want it to be tasty!
So – Chili Mac and Cheese. A cross between Chili and Mac and Cheese, all made in one pot. The sauce flavour is like beef Chilli Con Carne, with the addition of macaroni and cheesy goodness stirred into it as well as on top.
SO GOOD!!!
Yes, you can freeze Chili Mac!
Cool, then freeze in airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in fridge then reheat in microwave until steamy, stir well. I like to sprinkle extra cheese on then pop it back in the microwave. This Chili Mac recipe freezes well because it’s a saucy, juicy version!
What goes in Chili Mac and Cheese
Here’s what you need. Nothing unusual here!
My Chili Mac is made with a homemade Chili Powder. What’s known as “Chili Powder” in the US is actually a spice mix, not just pure chili, and it varies from brand to brand. It’s not sold here in Australia, though I’ve always got a stash because I stock up when I travel to the States.
So I prefer to make my own – for consistency of flavour, no matter where you are in the world!
How to make it
Chili Mac and Cheese is completely made in one pot. Start the usual way – sautéing garlic and onion to create the flavour base – add the beef, the spices and everything else. The pasta will cook while the sauce thickens, and a mere 15 minutes later, you’ll have dinner on the table!
I love a cosy one-pot pasta like Chili Mac. It’s a firm favourite alongside Cheeseburger Casserole (Homemade Hamburger Helper!), One Pot Vegetable Pasta and Bolognese Meat Sauce Orzo!
I love how the macaroni sucks up all the flavour as it cooks in the sauce. And the fact that there’s only one pot to clean up is certainly a big plus!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
And some more handy quick-meal one pot recipes for you
- One Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- One Pot Greek Chicken & Lemon Rice
- Mexican Ground Beef Casserole with Rice (beef mince!)
- Ultra Lazy HEALTHY Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
- Sausage Bake with Potatoes and Gravy
- Browse the One Pot recipes collection
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One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 red capsicum / bell pepper , chopped
- 500g / 1 lb ground beef (mince) , I use lean
- 800g / 28 oz crushed canned tomato
- 420g / 14 oz can red kidney beans , drained
- 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) beef broth (chicken broth also ok)
- 250g / 8 oz elbow macaroni pasta (elbow pasta), uncooked
- 2 cups (200g) shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, tasty cheese)
- 1/4 cup coriander / cilantro finely chopped, for garnish
Spices (Homemade Chili Powder):
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper or pure chilli powder (adjust spiciness to taste) (Note 1)
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder (can sub garlic powder)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute. Then add capsicum and cook until onion is translucent.
- Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go.
- Once the beef turns from red to brown, add remaining ingredients except cheese. Stir, bring to simmer, then turn the heat down to medium.
- Cover and cook for 12 minutes or until the macaroni is al dente, meaning just cooked, still a tiny bit on the firm side. It should be saucy but not tons of liquid (see video).
- Turn the stove OFF but leave the pot on the stove. Stir through half the cheese – it should be a bit saucy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Top with remaining cheese, put the lid back on and leave until the cheese melts - about 2 minutes (sauce will absorb further during this period).
- Sprinkle with coriander, if desired, and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Chili Mac recipe originally published October 2017. Updated October 2019 with new photos, brand new video and spruced up the writing. No change to recipe – I wouldn’t dare!
Life of Dozer
The other day, he spent the better part of the morning buried under the blanket like this. Whether he was cold, or trying to hide (I can’t see you, so you can’t see me….)?? 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
And Life of Dozer from the first time I published this recipe in 2017:
{I was in Fiji with friends at the time!} Usually when I travel, Dozer goes to stay with his “family” with a golden retriever boarder. He thunders around the house, rumbles with his friends, and generally completely forgets all about me.
Unfortunately, he’s a bit lame at the moment (nothing serious, just pulled a muscle from excessive beach craziness) so I left him with my mother for some quiet healing time.
Apparently, this is how he’s spending his day. 😂
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Mac & Cheese is a classic go to comfort food when you want to fill your stomach with less efforts and less time. It just made better with this chili addition.
Fantastic idea… however for us it turned way to spicy with all that cayenne pepper…. made the homemade spice mix…. but I guess the brand of cayenne that I get here is super hot. I reduced to 1/2 tsp … hubby liked it but for me it was just to spicy. It would have been inedible with a full tsp.
However I do buy an Indian brand of cayenne, so it’s probably spicer than most brands out there. I should have known better from previous experiences with this type of cayenne… lol
Loved everything about this recipe, but will will reduce the spice mix to only have 1/4 tsp cayenne next time based on the brand of cayenne that I have… but other than that… fantastic… will make again!!
Hi Darlana, that sounds super spicy – it definitely isn’t at the inedible spice stage with the full teaspoon. I can only assume that it is the brand of cayenne you use! N x
Can you use diced tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes?
Hi Rose – you sure can! Enjoy N x
If you make the recipe for the Homemade Chili Powder, how much of that do you add to the Chili Mac recipe? The full 3 Tbs the spice recipe makes? This is the only part of the recipe that is absolutely unclear to me.
Nagi, you are making me one recipe at a time into the best mom ever! My kids thought this was awesome! Thank you!
Wahoo! That’s awesome K!!!
This is delicious – it’s so versatile – I used sausage meat instead of mince, diced carrot and frozen corn instead of capsicum as that’s all I had.
Another hit – thanks so much Nagi!
This is delicious – it’s so versatile – I used sausage meat instead of mince, diced carrot and frozen corn instead of capsicum as that’s all I had.
Another hit – thanks so much Nagi!
I added jalapeños to spice it up even more. My kids loved it and came back for seconds!
Yes! Love this idea!!
Hi Nagi, I am so excited to try this recipe however, I have an allergy to beans and lentils. Do you think I would need to make any changes or could I simply omit the beans here? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, just leave the beans out – it will be FAB!
I usually don’t comment on recipes, but I just had to on this one. Oh my gosh, this simple dish was can so awesome! Absolutely delicious! I used ground elk, white kidney beans, used less cayenne (I like mild) and used green onion as a garnish, but kept everything else the same. Thank you!
That’s so great to hear Michelle, thanks so much!!
I cooked this tonight for supper. I celebrated two firsts. First time for the chili Mac and cheese, and the first meal cooked on my new cooktop. It is a keeper recipe. I told my hubs that I was going to freeze half for another day. He is pouting because I will not let him eat the whole pan full tonight.