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This hearty chili mac comes together in one pot in 30 minutes for an easy and delicious weeknight meal.
Chili Macaroni and Cheese
My family loves this one-pot chili mac because it has all the flavor of my best beef chili recipe, with a lot fewer beans (you can omit them) and the cheesiness of their favorite beef goulash pasta. Beans or not, it’s always a winner dinner recipe.
Ingredients
This recipe starts with yellow onion, garlic, olive oil, and ground beef. Then, the seasonings: chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, oregano, and salt; or you can swap them all for your favorite chili seasoning mix. To turn it into a chili mac, you’ll need kidney beans, canned crushed tomatoes, beef broth (or water), macaroni, and shredded cheddar.
How to Make Chili Mac in a Pot
- Sauté the aromatics.
Sautéed onions and garlic in olive oil make a delicious base for the chili mac. - Add the ground beef.
Cook the ground beef in the same skillet. Once done, drain the excess fat if your ground beef is higher in fat. - Add the remaining ingredients.
Add the seasonings, beans, tomatoes, liquid, and macaroni so everything cooks together along with the beef. After it boils, let it cook for 12 minutes. Add the cheese and let it sit for 5 minutes with the heat off to melt the cheese.
Serve It Up
Add extra flavor and nutrition with quick sides like this arugula salad, this cucumber salad with cilantro and lime, this simple fig salad with goat cheese, or this everyday side salad.
Easy One Pot Chili Mac
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, about 1 cup finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 14 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups beef broth, or water
- 8 ounces macaroni, about 2 cups
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet (with a lid) over medium heat. Add the olive oil, let it heat up for 15 seconds, then add the onions and garlic. Sauté for about 3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet and continue stirring and cooking, breaking it up as you go, until the beef is cooked through. If your beef is higher in fat, you can drain the excess from the skillet.
- Add the seasonings and stir. Add the kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, and beef broth (or water), and macaroni to the skillet. Bring the liquid to a low boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover.
- Cook everything in the skillet for 12 minutes, opening the lid to stir once or twice. The pasta should be cooked but slightly firm at this point. Turn the heat off, add half of the cheese, and stir. Top with the remaining cheese, cover, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Notes
- Swap the seasonings (chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, oregano, and salt) for 2 ½ tablespoons of your favorite chili seasoning mix.
sarah says
this chili mac is delicious!!