One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
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Two favorite comfort foods come together in this super easy, 30 min one-pot meal that the whole family will go crazy for!
So after 2 long months of waiting and waiting, I finally brought our new puppy home today. Here is the newest member of the Damn Delicious family – Butters, our 10-week old Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
It’s been a very long day as I sit by hyperventilating each time he whines, but apparently that’s quite normal in the puppy world. So forgive me for today’s short post!
So about this mac and cheese. Now it’s definitely not your ordinary mac and cheese. It’s mac and cheese combined with a super easy homemade chili using pantry ingredients, combining two of your favorite kind of comfort foods in a single one pot meal. It’s quick, easy and sure to be a hit with the entire family. You can’t beat that!
One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- ¾ cup canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 10 ounces elbow macaroni
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and onion, and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in pasta. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Top with cheese and cover until melted, about 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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I’ve been making this for a couple of years now and my family still loves it. Over time, I have made some minor adjustments by adding double the meat, added a little more garlic and spices to make up for the additional meat but also add just a 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for some extra heat. Love this recipe especially during the cold months. Highly recommend!
Looks DELICIOUS!!! Can’t wait to try it!!!
THANK YOU…
I loved this dish the first time I made it. I think I loved it more the next day as leftovers. I made cheddar cheese and chive biscuits to go with it.
I love this recipe! Flavorful, and filling! Costs less than $10 to make, too.
4 stars because I added more of the seasonings listed, times about 1 1/2. ❤️
It was good! I had to add about double the chili and cumin. Also threw in paprika. It didn’t taste like anything at first for some reason…
I added mushrooms, and black beans as well with scallions on top. This recipe was a huge hit! They’re calling it a “Do over” Thanks for posting it.
I made this recipe exactly according to the recipe it was delicious and hearty everyone raved
I’ve made this a few times. When I made it last night, I didn’t have chicken broth so I substituted with beef broth. It was perfect! My husband LOVES it. Will definitely make again. Thanks for this great recipe!
So yummy and easy! I doubled the beef and cheese plus added some cayenne pepper and wow! Delicious and quick!!
My family loves this and I love that it is all in one pot. My kids who like chili love that it is a mix of chili and mac and cheese, and my kid who doesn’t like chili, but likes beans likes that it has mac and cheese without the heavy chili texture. I love that they all will eat it. Thanks for the recipe. Also, I use more beef and more broth so I can use up the whole 16oz box of elbow macaroni. Also put full cans of beans in. I think I stay true to your ratios, just increase it a bit so I don’t have leftover macaroni.
How much extra broth do you add to account for a 16 oz. box of macaroni?
Found this very bland. I added green peppers, green chilies, red pepper flakes & an envelope of Lawry’s Chili Seasoning to give it a kick. Also added a much larger amt of sharp cheddar.
Would also be good with jalapenos.
I e made this many times, and my family loves it. In fact, anytime I take requests, this is what my now 17 year old daughter’s first choice! It’s so simple yet comforting. I always double it and serve with a dollop of sour cream and a dash of hot sauce. Yum! Yum!
Can this be frozen after it is made?
Made this recipe for dinner tonight and everyone in my family love it. I didn’t have the diced tomatoes and it still tasted great. Thanks
Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
My family loved it. I tweaked it to make it more like Mac and cheese. I added a small container of heavy cream, only about 3 cups broth, more Mexican mix cheese, one pound hamburger, extra seasoning and instead of all plain diced tomatoes, I added a can of the Rotel tomatoes. Those complaining it’s too bland or runny ….Do you test your food before you serve it? Simple recipe that can easily be adjusted, even at the end.
I made this last night and omg! You are a treasure in my kitchen; I use your recipes frequently!
Disappointed, it didn’t have very much taste to it
Can you switch out the diced tomatoes for crushed tomatoes?
Yes, but the consistency may vary with this substitution.
I trolled online for a quick and different ground beef recipe. It was a cool autumn evening, so chili sounded good, but I craved something with a twist. I started preparing this recipe, only to realize I didn’t have any cheese in the refrigerator. I found a box of emergency mac and cheese in the cupboard and decided to take the risk. It did not disappoint! Thank you for the recipe!
It looked exactly like your pictures and tasted scrumptious. We only made two changes. One was to use pinto beans only and the other was to add pepper flakes for some ooomph. I will be making it again often.