One-Pot Chili Mac
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Chili meets mac and cheese in this one-pot dinner that’s cozy, kid-approved, and easy enough for a weeknight. This is chili mac at its best!
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
A regular menu item in the school cafeteria when I was growing up, chili mac is one of those nostalgic dishes that reminds me of my childhood. When my kids were younger, it was one of my go-to weeknight dinners. Nowadays, I make a big batch when my young nephews come for dinner. I mean, with pasta, cheese, and ground beef, how can you go wrong with kids?
This dish comes together in less than 45 minutes. Serve it with tortilla chips for dipping or crushing over the top.
“Full of familiar flavors, but miles away from school cafeteria fare.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chili Mac
- Yellow onion and garlic: The flavor foundation—sautéed first to build depth and aroma.
- Spice blend (ancho chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, and oregano): Brings that classic chili flavor. It’s mild as written, but you can bump up the cayenne for more heat.
- Lean ground beef: Adds richness and heartiness without being too greasy. Feel free to use ground chicken or turkey.
- Chicken broth & canned tomato sauce: These form the saucy base—broth cooks the pasta right in the pan, and tomato sauce adds tang to balance the beef and cheese.
- Macaroni: A chili mac staple that holds onto all the saucy goodness. Feel free to swap in another short pasta like rotini or shells.
- Evaporated milk & Mexican cheese blend: These team up for a creamy, cheesy finish. The cheese blend typically includes cheddar, Monterey Jack, and other mild melty cheeses.
- Scallions: Sprinkled on at the end for a fresh, oniony crunch and pop of color.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Sauté the onion. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens. It should take 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 2: Add garlic and spices. Stir in the garlic, spices, and salt. Cook for about a minute, just until fragrant—be careful not to let the garlic brown. Toasting the spices now helps bring out their best flavor. Just be careful not to burn them, or they can take on a bitter flavor.
Step 3: Brown the beef. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Breaking the beef into smaller crumbles as it cooks helps it mix evenly with the pasta later.
Step 4: Add the liquids and pasta. Add the broth, tomato sauce, oregano, sugar, and pasta and give it a good stir to combine. (Make sure the pasta is mostly submerged so it cooks evenly in the sauce.)
Step 5: Simmer and stir in cheese. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the pasta is tender, 9 to 12 minutes. Take it off the heat, then stir in the evaporated milk and shredded cheese until melted and creamy.
Step 6: Serve. Spoon the chili mac into bowls and top with scallions. Serve with extra cheese and tortilla chips for dipping or crumbling over the top.
Video Tutorial
More Kid-Friendly dishes You May Like
Easy One-Pot Chili Mac
This cozy one-pot chili mac is everything you want on a busy night—hearty, family-friendly, and quick to pull together.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Ancho chile powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional; omit for less heat)
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 pound 85 or 90% lean ground beef
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 8 ounces (about 2 cups) elbow macaroni
- 1 cup (8 oz) evaporated milk
- 1½ cups (one 6-oz package) shredded Mexican cheese blend, plus more for serving
- 3 medium scallions, dark green parts only, thinly sliced
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chile powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper (if using), and salt and cook, stirring often, about 1 minute more. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking apart the meat, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, oregano, sugar, and macaroni and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring every so often so the macaroni doesn't stick to the bottom, until the pasta is al dente, 9 to 12 minutes. Use a soup spoon to skim any grease off the top, if necessary.
- Off the heat, add the evaporated milk and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Ladle the chili mac into bowls and sprinkle with the scallions. Serve with more shredded cheese and tortilla chips.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 918
- Fat: 46 g
- Saturated fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 70 g
- Sugar: 18 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 55 g
- Sodium: 1489 mg
- Cholesterol: 155 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Excellent. Such great comfort food to have on a cold day.
Can I use beef broth instead of chicken broth? I have extra beef broth to use , although I do have homemade chicken broth in the freezeer. Would it make a big difference to the flavor either way? Thank you Your blog has been my go to for the last couple years and every day since quarantine!
Beef broth should be fine here. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn, thanks. I wound up making homemade evaporated milk. It was a little goopy but I strained it. It was thick and sweet. I love the recipe.
So glad it worked out! 🙂
Hi Jen, I don’t have tomato sauce, but I do have tomato paste. Can I just dilute that with some water?
Hi Carolyn, I haven’t tried it, but in a pinch, I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
I had to do that tonight, Easy-peasy – use equal parts water and tomato paste. Tasted just fine.
I was only able to find lowfat Evaporated milk. Will that work or is half and half a better substitute if I can find the regular type?
Can’t wait to try this.
Thanks!
Hi Dana, I think you could get away with either one here. Hope you enjoy!
Great recipe – a good example of the sum being greater than the parts. As suggested by Jenn, I added mushrooms and tomatoes as extra veggies. I added the mushrooms right after the onions, but boiled down the tomatoes in a separate pot and added it to the pot at the same time as the broth. Not sure if that was the right timing, but it worked.
This was excellent!!! My 3 year old had three full bowls!
Can this be made with turkey meat? Any modifications if so?
Thanks! Love your recipes!!
So glad it was a hit! Sure, ground turkey will work, but don’t use the extra lean variety.
Why the use of evaporated milk? Can I substitute it with something else.
Hi Mark, the evaporated milk contains less water than cream or milk and helps to keep the sauce from “breaking.” If you don’t have evaported milk, you could get away with half & half (that would be my first choice as a substitute), heavy cream, or whole milk. Hope that helps!
Jenn: can this be completely made and saved for the next day or should i wait to put in the milk and cheese until then?
Hi Pat, I wouldn’t recommend it as I think the pasta will get really mushy. It’s not much of a timesaver, but you could brown the ground beef with the spices ahead and then finish with the remainder of the recipe when you’re ready to serve it. Hope that helps!
This was perfection. From the level of spice to the ratio of pasta to beef, you made a humble dish swoon-worthy. Truly, you’re one of the best food bloggers out there. Please keep doing what you do! It is so deeply appreciated. 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
Jenn, you are there for us in good times and in bad. After a painful day of homeschooling, this came together quickly with all of the ingredients I already had on hand. I followed it exactly (as everyone should with your recipes) & it was perfect for the whole family!
😘