This easy chili mac recipe is a one-pot meal that will please the whole family. It’s budget-friendly and uses a combination of fresh and pantry ingredients for a homemade taste without a lot of fuss.
In this recipe, the chili is made with ground beef that is generously seasoned with a homemade mix and cooked along with diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth for plenty of flavor. Make it as mild or spicy as you’d like.
Simply hold off on the cayenne powder and chili peppers to make it kid friendly. You can always serve it with your favorite hot sauce on the side. Like this chili macaroni, a Frito pie casserole, and this hamburger soup make fun and simple weeknight dinners.
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Ingredients
- Oil – Use an oil with a high smoke point, we use canola oil
- Aromatics – Onions and garlic add plenty of flavor.
- Ground Beef – Use the ground beef with the fat content of your choice. You can go super lean with sirloin or if you want a little fat for flavor go with ground round or chuck (what we used).
- Spices – Chili powder, salt, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, chili de arbol (dried whole chili pepper), and Worcestershire sauce add flavor, color, and spice. (Eliminate the cayenne and chili de arbol to keep the chili mac mild.)
- Pantry – From the pantry you will need macaroni, beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and red beans.
- Suggested toppings and sides – shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, corn muffins, crackers, corn chips, sour cream, sliced jalapenos peppers, and hot sauce.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
Instructions
Combine the chili powder, salt, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
Heat the oil in a large pot (we use a 6-quart Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the ground beef and sprinkle with the prepared seasoning mix. Stir well.
Arrange the beef in one layer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir and arrange in one layer again. Cook 1-3 minutes until browned. Stir and break up large pieces.
Still on medium heat add the onions, cook for 2 minutes. Stir frequently.
Next, add the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 1 minute. Stir often.
Stir in the beef broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and dried chili peppers.
Raise the heat to high, bring the liquid to a boil (about 5-6 minutes). Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors develop and come together.
Raise the heat to medium, add the red beans to the pot, stir. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep it at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.
Finally, raise the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the macaroni to the pot while stirring. Then lower the heat to medium and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
Keep the liquid simmering, raise or lower the heat as need. Stir the macaroni often (especially in the beginning) because it sinks and will stick to the bottom of the pot.
Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the chili mac sit for 5 minutes. Stir 2-3 times while it sits.
Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours. Use tongs to remove the bay leaf and chili peppers.
Serve with shredded cheese and sliced green onions or your favorite toppings.
Top tip
Use reduced sodium canned products if you are sensitive to salt. There are good quality low sodium broths, tomatoes, and beans available. You can also reduce the initial amount of salt in the seasoning and adjust at the end if needed.
Frequently asked questions
Use ground beef that has some fat for flavor like ground round or chuck. If you would like something leaner opt for ground sirloin.
No, this is a one pot meal. The macaroni is cooked with the beef and bean chili.
Yes, it can. If you are going to a potluck, or serving buffet-style, a casserole makes serving easy. Prepare the recipe as directed then place it in a large, oven-proof casserole dish. Add cheese (if desired), cover with aluminum foil, and bake (at 350°F) until heated through.
Storing and reheating
Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in a saucepan or in the microwave until hot all the way through. Add a couple of tablespoons of beef broth while reheating to loosen it a bit, if desired.
Pasta dishes may lose quality when frozen and reheated, so it is best to eat the leftovers within a few days. That said, to freeze, cool the chili mac quickly and place in air-tight containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Chili Mac
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 pound Ground Beef ground chuck, ground round, or ground sirloin work well
- 2 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper optional – leave it out if you do not like spicy
- 1 Medium Onion finely diced
- 5-6 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 4 cups Beef Broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes, do not drain
- 1 (8 ounce) can Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1-2 Dried Whole Chili Peppers we used dried Chili de Arbol, optional – leave it out if you do not like spicy
- 1 (15 ounce) Can Red Beans, drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces Elbow Macaroni
- Shredded Cheese for serving optional
- Sliced Green Onions for serving optional
Instructions
- Combine the chili powder, salt, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
- Heat the oil in a large pot (we use a 6-quart Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the ground beef and sprinkle with the prepared seasoning mix. Stir well.
- Arrange the beef in one layer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir well, arrange in one layer again and cook an additional 1-3 minutes until browned. Stir and break up any large pieces.
- Still on medium heat add the onions, cook for 2 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Next, add the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 1 minute. Stir often.
- Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and dried chili peppers (if using) and stir.
- Raise the heat to high, bring the liquid to a boil (about 5-6 minutes).
- Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors develop and come together.
- Raise the heat to medium, add the red beans to the pot, stir. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep it at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.
- Finally, raise the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the macaroni to the pot while stirring. Then lower the heat to medium and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Keep it simmering, raise or lower the heat as need. Stir the macaroni often (especially in the beginning) because it sinks and will stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the chili mac sit for 5 minutes. Stir 2-3 times while it sits.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours.
- Use tongs to remove the bay leaf and chili peppers.
- Serve with shredded cheese and sliced green onions or your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Ronda
This is Excellent! I'm not one of those people who made a million modifications and claim the end result was good. I followed your recipe, your times for cooking and it came out soo flavorful. Yes, there was minor alterations made but that was only: no kidney beans, no cumin and no dried peppers but that's only because my husband has a spice issue and cannot stand kidney beans lol.. I just wanted to thank you ever so much for sharing such a wonderful, tasty, easy Chili Mac recipe. It is absolutely delicious.
Elizabeth
Hi Ronda,
Thank you, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it!