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
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 lb 85 or 90% lean ground beef
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 8 oz (about 2 cups) elbow macaroni
- 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
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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I made this chili mac and ate the whole thing by myself, not in one sitting, but for breakfast, every day. I am not an egg and toast gal, or a sweet-first-thing-in-the-morning girl. Evidently, I am a chili mac for breakfast girl. THIS is the best I’ve ever made and I will make it every week for the rest of my life.
I make this on a regular basis because it tastes wonderful, its easy to make and clean up is a breeze. Sometimes I add corn or black beans but most often I simply make it as written. Thanks!
Hi Jenn,
I am busy working my way through your new cookbook (as are my two daughters and my mother). Everything has been great!
I am making the Beefy Chili Mac right now and I am wondering about the can of tomato sauce. It says 8 ounces or 227 grams but I believe tomato sauce is usually measured in mls, not grams and wondering if the gram direction is correct.
Hi Lisa, Thanks so much for your support with the cookbook — I’m happy you’ve been enjoying it so far!
Sometimes when I’m adding the metric/weight conversions to recipes, I will look at what the can indicates and in this case, it says 227 g. I understand that liquids are usually measured in milliliters so this is a bit unusual, but I was just going off of the can label. Hope that clarifies!
My whole family loved this recipe – comfort food at it’s finest! It’s so easy to make with ingredients I always have on hand. I did use whole milk in place of evaporated milk and it was delicious.
We got 6 very generous servings from this, and the leftovers were equally tasty. Thank you for another solid recipe!
It’s a five star! Easy to make and the flavor is so good… My 91 year old mother-in-law told me…I am really enjoying this… don’t lose the recipe!
Thank you!
As a previous review mentioned, this is reminiscent of Hamburger Helper. And, we are ALL about it! It’s like the gourmet, much more delicious version of Hamburger Helper. It hits the spot, and loved by both the kids and adults!
What do you think about making this without the milk?
Hi Amy, I think you could get away with it; it just won’t be very creamy. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I give most of your recipes 5 stars but this was reminiscent of a hamburger helper meal I prepared in my college days! Not good!
Made this today for the N’oreaster and it was so delicious and incredibly easy!
We will definitely add this to our rotation 🙂
Another amazing recipe of yours! I substituted beef for turkey, gluten free elbow macaroni (can’t tell the difference), and used regular 2% milk. Will definitely keep making this recipe, it was easy, quick and hearty!
I also added carrots.