Classic Chili Mac Recipe

I made this chili mac recipe last Tuesday and honestly it turned out way better than the boxed stuff I used to rely on. The timing’s a little tight but once you get it down it’s not hard. You just gotta pay attention when the pasta goes in.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Everything cooks in one pot so cleanup is actually manageable on a weeknight
• The pasta absorbs all the beefy chili flavor instead of sitting in plain water like when you boil it separate
• You don’t need weird specialty ingredients, just what’s probably already in your pantry
• 35 minutes from start to finish including the time it takes to chop an onion
• The cheese melts into these stretchy strings that coat every piece of pasta
• It reheats better than most ground beef chili because the pasta holds its texture

The Story Behind This Recipe

I needed something faster than my usual chili that still felt substantial. My go-to chili takes like 4 hours and sometimes I just don’t have that kind of time after work.

This cheesy pasta dish happened because I threw pasta directly into simmering chili one night instead of boiling it separately. Turns out the pasta soaks up the seasoned broth and gets way more flavor that way. I noticed the liquid level drops faster than you’d think so you gotta keep the heat low and stir it more than you expect.

Now it’s what I make when I want chili but also want to be done cooking before 7 PM.

What You Need

You need 1 pound of ground beef and I always go for 80/20 because the fat adds flavor but you’ll drain most of it off anyway. A medium onion chopped up however you want, doesn’t matter if the pieces are all the same size. 2 cloves of garlic minced, and if you use the jarred stuff I’m not gonna judge you.

For the liquid part you need 2 cups of beef broth, not chicken, because that beefy depth matters here. 2 tablespoons of chili seasoning, the kind in the little packet or your own blend if you have one. One 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes with all the juice still in there, don’t drain it. Then 1 eight-ounce can of tomato sauce which is smaller than you think when you’re standing in the aisle.

The pasta is 1 cup uncooked and I used elbow macaroni but shells or small penne work too. Just keep it small enough to fit on a spoon with the beef. Finally 1 cup of shredded cheese, cheddar’s what I used, and the pre-shredded stuff melts fine despite what people say about the coating on it.

Salt and black pepper you’ll add at the end when you can actually taste what it needs.

How to Make Chili Mac

Get your Dutch oven heating over medium-high and throw in the ground beef with the chopped onion right on top. Break the meat apart with your spoon while it browns and you’ll see the onions start going translucent in the fat. Takes maybe 6 or 7 minutes. Once the pink is gone and everything smells like cooked beef and onions, tip the pot over the sink and drain off the grease, but don’t rinse the meat or you’ll lose all that browned flavor stuck to the bottom.

Put the pot back on the burner and add your minced garlic. Stir it around for about a minute until you smell it, that’s your cue. It’ll go from raw to fragrant really fast and start looking slightly golden on the edges.

Now pour in the 2 cups of beef broth, 2 tablespoons of chili seasoning, the whole 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes with the juice, and that 8-ounce can of tomato sauce. Crank the heat up and let it boil hard for a minute so everything gets mixed and the seasonings wake up. Then drop it down to a simmer, like where you see bubbles but it’s not rolling.

Add the 1 cup of uncooked pasta and stir it in so none of it clumps. Put the lid on and let it cook on low to medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. You gotta stir this every 4 minutes or so because the pasta likes to stick to the bottom when it’s cooking in chili instead of plain water.

When I lifted the lid around minute 12 I noticed the pasta had swelled up and was sitting just barely under the liquid line, which meant I was right on schedule. The onions were completely soft by then and the pasta still had a couple minutes to go. At 18 minutes I tested a piece and it was tender enough.

Taste it now and add salt and black pepper. I added probably half a teaspoon of salt and several grinds of pepper but your chili seasoning might already be salty.

Take it off the heat and sprinkle the 1 cup of shredded cheese over everything. Stir it in and keep stirring until those cheese strands melt into the sauce and coat all the pasta. It goes from shredded to smooth in like 30 seconds.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

I didn’t stir the ground beef chili enough while the pasta was cooking and a layer of macaroni welded itself to the bottom of my pot. Had to soak it overnight. The top part of the cheesy pasta dish was fine but I lost probably a third of it to scraping and scrubbing, and the burnt smell got into everything near the bottom layer. Now I set a timer on my phone for every 4 minutes during that 15 to 20 minute window and I just accept that I’m gonna be standing there stirring more than I want to.

Classic Chili Mac Recipe

By Emma

Prep:

10 min

Cook:

25 min

Total:

35 min

Servings:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons chili seasoning
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup uncooked pasta
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1. 1 Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the ground beef along with the chopped onions. Brown the meat, breaking it apart as it sizzles and onions become translucent, then pour off any accumulated grease.
2. 2 Return the pot to the stove, stir in minced garlic, and let it cook for about a minute until fragrant and slightly golden.
3. 3 Add beef broth, chili seasoning, diced tomatoes with their juice, and tomato sauce. Bring the mixture to a vigorous boil, letting the aromas burst before lowering the heat to a gentle simmer.
4. 4 Stir in the uncooked pasta, cover the pot, and cook on low to medium heat. Keep an ear out for the gentle bubbling and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. The onions should soften fully and the pasta should be tender in about 15 to 20 minutes.
5. 5 Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper according to your taste.
6. 6 Once the pasta is tender and most of the liquid absorbed, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top. Stir continuously until the strands of cheese melt and bind the dish together into a hearty, creamy finish.

Nutritional information

Calories

603

Protein

34g

Carbs

45g

Fat

34g

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Tips for the Best Chili Mac

Use a wider pot if you have one because the pasta cooks more evenly when it’s spread out instead of piled on top of itself. I switched to my wider Dutch oven the second time and didn’t get any stuck pieces.

Don’t walk away during those last 5 minutes of pasta cooking. The liquid disappears faster than you think and if you’re not watching it can go from saucy to dry in like 2 minutes. I learned that when I went to fold laundry.

If your chili mac looks too thick before you add the cheese, splash in a quarter cup of water and stir it through. The pasta keeps absorbing liquid even after you take it off the heat so a little extra moisture saves you from ending up with a thick paste situation.

Grate your own cheese if you’re feeling ambitious because it melts smoother than the pre-shredded. But honestly the convenience of the bag won won out for me on a Tuesday night and it still tasted really good.

Let it sit for 3 minutes before you serve it. The sauce thickens up as it cools just slightly and everything holds together better on the spoon instead of being all liquidy.

Serving Ideas

I put sour cream and sliced green onions on top because the cool tang cuts through all that beefy richness. Crackers on the side aren’t fancy but they’re good for scooping.

Cornbread works if you made it earlier in the week. I had some leftover and it soaked up the extra sauce at the bottom of the bowl.

A simple salad with just lettuce, tomatoes and ranch is enough vegetable content to make you feel less guilty about eating a whole bowl of cheesy pasta. Sometimes I skip it though.

Variations

You can swap ground turkey for the beef and it’ll work but add an extra tablespoon of oil when you start browning because turkey’s so lean. The flavor’s lighter and less rich which some people prefer.

Throw in a diced bell pepper with the onions if you want more vegetables hiding in there. Green or red both work and they soften right up during that initial browning time. My mom always added peppers.

Black beans or kidney beans turn this into more of a traditional chili situation. Add a drained can when you add the tomatoes and it stretches the recipe to feed more people. The beans soak up the chili seasoning just like the pasta does.

Use rotini instead of elbows because the spirals grab onto more sauce in those twisted grooves. I tried it once and my husband said he liked the texture better that way.

FAQ

Can I use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef? Yeah but add a tablespoon of oil first because leaner meat doesn’t release enough fat on its own. The flavor won’t be as deep and beefy but it still works. You might want to add a little extra chili seasoning to make up for it.

What if I don’t have beef broth? Chicken broth works in a pinch but you lose some of that meaty depth. Water plus a beef bouillon cube is better if you have that. I wouldn’t use just plain water because the pasta needs something flavorful to cook in.

Can I make this ahead of time? You can but the pasta keeps soaking up liquid as it sits so you’ll need to add broth or water when you reheat it. I usually add a quarter cup and stir it in over low heat. It’ll never be quite as good as fresh though.

How do I store leftovers? Put it in a container with a lid and stick it in the fridge for up to 4 days. It gets thicker as it sits so factor that in. I’ve never frozen it because I worry about the pasta getting mushy but I guess you could try.

Why is my chili mac watery? You probably didn’t simmer it long enough for the pasta to absorb the liquid. Put it back on low heat without the lid and let it cook another 5 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t stick. The pasta will keep absorbing.

Why did my pasta stick to the bottom? Heat was too high or you didn’t stir enough during that 15 to 20 minute cooking window. Once it sticks it’s hard to save but you can scrape off the top layer and eat that part. Soak the pot overnight with dish soap.

Can I use a different type of pasta? Small shapes work best because they cook in the same time as what I used. Shells, small penne, rotini are all fine. Don’t use spaghetti or anything long because it won’t fit right and the timing’s different.

What kind of chili seasoning should I use? The packets you find near the taco seasoning work great. If you make your own blend use chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and a little cayenne. I’m not picky about brands.

Do I have to drain the diced tomatoes? No, you need that juice for the liquid the pasta cooks in. If you drain them you’ll end up with a dry ground beef chili and the pasta won’t cook right. Keep all the liquid in there.

Can I double this recipe? You’ll need a really big pot and the cooking time for the pasta might stretch closer to 25 minutes because there’s more liquid to absorb. Stir it even more often than the regular batch. I haven’t tried it myself.

What if I don’t have a Dutch oven? Any big pot with a lid works. A large deep skillet is fine too as long as the pasta fits and you can cover it. The heavy bottom of a Dutch oven helps but it’s not required for this.

How do I know when the pasta’s done? Pull out a piece and bite it. It should be tender but not mushy and there shouldn’t be a hard center. Mine was done at 18 minutes but check at 15 just in case.

Can I add more vegetables? Diced bell peppers, corn, or black beans all work if you add them at the right time. Peppers go in with the onions, corn and beans go in with the tomatoes. Don’t add anything watery like zucchini or it’ll throw off the liquid balance.

Why is my cheese clumpy instead of melted? The pot was still on the heat or you added it too fast. Take it completely off the burner, sprinkle the cheese over the top, then stir slowly. It should melt smooth in less than a minute if the chili mac is hot enough.

Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned? You’d need to add more liquid because fresh tomatoes don’t have that loose juice the canned ones come packed in. I haven’t tried it and I’m not sure how much water you’d need to add so I’d stick with the canned ones here.

What do I do if it’s too spicy? Add more cheese or a dollop of sour cream on top to cool it down. You can’t really remove the spice once it’s in there but dairy helps mellow it. Next time use less chili seasoning or pick a mild blend.

How much does this recipe make? Six servings but that depends on how big your bowls are. I got four big servings out of it when I was really hungry. With cornbread on the side it could stretch to six easier.