Easy Chili Mac

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Easy Chili Mac is a one pot recipe made in minutes. It’s flavorful ground beef chili cooked with macaroni noodles and topped with cheese.

White bowl full of chili mac.

How To Make Easy Chili Mac

Note: This is a summary. The full printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.

  • Add ground beef and chopped onion to a soup pot.
  • Break the beef apart and cook.
Ground beef and chopped onion in a skillet.
  • Add beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, sugar, and pepper.
  • Stir.
  • Bring the liquid to a simmer.
Chili seasonings being added to cooked ground beef and onion in a skillet.
  • Add the macaroni.
  • Cook until the pasta is tender, about 12 minutes.
Uncooked macaroni pasta added to chili in a pot.

Quick Tip

Be Sure To Stir

One Pot Pastas have a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pot if they are not stirred often enough. Be sure to stir the pasta every two to three minutes to prevent sticking.

The pasta will soak up most of the liquid but it should still be a little saucy.

I like to serve my chili mac topped with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

HOW TO STORE

Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator. They will last 3-4 days. 

You could freeze leftovers for up to 3 months, but the texture wonโ€™t be as good. The noodles will be very soft. Place in the refrigerator to defrost the day before you want to reheat it.

HOW TO REHEAT

I like to reheat the chili mac in a skillet over medium heat. Heat it until it is warmed through, occasionally giving it a gentle stir. 

Large pot and a ladle full of chili mac

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White bowl full of chili mac.

Easy Chili Mac Recipe

5 from 29 votes
Easy Chili Mac is a one pot recipe made in minutes. It's flavorful ground beef chili cooked with macaroni noodles and topped with cheese.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Video

Servings 8 servings
Calories 257 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound 90-93% lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
  • 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni about 2 cups
  • For serving: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, etc.

Instructions

  • Add the ground beef and onion to a large soup pot and place it over medium-high heat. Break the beef apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned and the onions are soft.
  • Add the broth, diced tomatoes (with their juices), tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, sugar, and pepper to the beef. Stir well. Bring the liquid to a simmer.
  • Add the macaroni. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 12 minutes.
  • Serve topped with shredded cheddar, sour cream, etc.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8th of the recipe | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 1124mg | Potassium: 682mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 796IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 4mg
Course Dinner, Entree
Keyword American goulash, chili mac recipe, one pot chili mac
Cuisine American
Author Amanda Finks
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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Like others said, I like this recipe because it is without cheese inside. I can replace the beef with Impossible Meat to make it vegetarian/vegan (with veggie broth) and the spice blend keeps the taste. My kids love it!

  2. 5 stars
    I have made chili Mac three times. The first time with kidney beans. LOVE,LOVE,LOVE it. I was looking for chili Mac made with macaroni and finally found the PERFECT recipe. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

  3. 5 stars
    I was looking for a recipe like this one and without cheese in it. The cheese on top was good but I prefer the chili Mac without it. My husband and I liked the chili Mac VERY MUCH. I’m trying out your recipes and like what I see.THANK YOU!!!!

    1. 5 stars
      I tweaked this a little based on what I had on hand. Eating the pantry time. Used pork/beef mix(meatloaf mix), fire roasted tomatoes and beef stock. Not a fan of chili mac, but this turned out delicious. I like it less soupy, so I threw in a handful of instant rice to thicken. Seasoning was spot on. Served with shredded cheese, sour cream, guac and crushed Fritos. Itโ€™s good cold, too!

  4. 5 stars
    So good!!!! My first time making something like this, it turned out more just like chili with noodles (a Midwest thing adding noodles to chili) but I was wanting the Mac and cheese flavor represented more, so I added about 6 oz. (Maybe more?) of shredded cheese to the chili and that was the ticket for my taste!!! Will definitely make again! Thank you ๐Ÿ˜˜

  5. 5 stars
    First time making this! I used ground turkey and red kidney beans. The cheese and sour cream was delicious on the dish. Try it !!!

  6. 5 stars
    Delicious! I added light red kidney beans and black beans. Very good. Thank you for sharing this recipe ๐Ÿ˜

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About Amanda Finks

Iโ€™m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Zionsville, IN. Iโ€™m an avid cook, travel nerd, & lover of good food! Iโ€™m trained in Food Science & recipe development. Itโ€™s my mission to bring you the BEST recipes your whole family will love!

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