One Pot Chili Mac Recipe
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This One Pot Chili Mac recipe combines two of my loves: Chili and Pasta for the ultimate comfort food. Mainly using ingredients from the pantry, this meal is quick, easy, and satisfying!
If you’re looking for a good one pot meal that everyone will eat, then this easy chili mac recipe is for you. It’s a combo of flavorful homemade chili thinned with a little chicken broth and bites of tender pasta. I love to stir in a heap of shredded cheese for extra flavor, but it tastes amazing on its own!
If you love chili, and love meals that only take 30 minutes to cook with little cleanup, this one’s for you.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Recipe
- The best part is everything is made in one pot. LITERALLY ONE POT. From browning the meat to cooking the pasta, this is a tasty meal with little cleanup.
- You can use shortcut ingredients like canned tomatoes and beans and premade chili seasoning.
- This meal is nostalgic, comforting, and delicious. It’s a total crowd-pleaser.
How to make Homemade Chili Mac
This is a lot like the chili macaroni Hamburger helper–except way better! The ingredients are simple and customizable to suit your personal preference! This is an easy dinner that everyone will love!
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey or Ground Beef – I use 85% lean/15% fat ground meat. It has the best flavor without being too greasy. You can definitely use a more lean ground beef or turkey for this recipe if you prefer.
- Olive Oil
- Chili Powder – Chili powder is actually a blend of chili peppers and spices and it’s not as spicy as using actual chili peppers. I like to use McCormick’s chili powder for its flavor and mild heat.
- Garlic Powder– Garlic powder, not garlic salt. This will season the meat and the chili base.
- Yellow Onion
- Canned Diced Tomatoes– I use fire roasted for this recipe.
- Kidney Beans – Light or dark red kidney beans are great!
- Stock or Broth– I use low-sodium broth to control the seasonings, but feel free to use any chicken stock, chicken broth, or vegetable broth you love!
- Chili Seasoning Mix – this is different from chili powder, where it contains a bunch of different spices, salt, and thickening agents like flour. You can make your own chili seasoning blend (see my homemade seasoning in my Instant Pot Chili).
- Elbow Macaroni– uncooked
- Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese– for serving.
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven and cook the onions until soft. Add the ground meat to the cooked onions.
Season the meat with chili powder and garlic powder and continue cooking until the meat is browned and cooked through.
Step 2
Add the tomatoes with their juices to the pot, along with the kidney beans, broth, and chili seasoning mix. Stir the mixture and bring to a boil.
Step 3
Add 2 cups of elbow macaroni to the chili and simmer until al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir often to prevent sticking. Turn the stove down to medium heat if the mixture is boiling too furiously.
TIP: If you find your chili is drying up as the macaroni cooks, add a little water or more broth.
Step 4
Once the pasta has finished cooking, remove from heat and serve. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, and sour cream if desired.
Pro Tip
After adding the pasta, stir frequently to prevent sticking. The pasta will take a few minutes longer to cook than if it was boiled in a traditional pot of water.
Substitutions
- Use tomato sauce to eliminate chunks of diced tomato.
- Swap the kidney beans for pinto beans or black beans (see my Black Bean Chili if you have dry black beans to use up!)
- I love elbow macaroni for this chili mac recipe, but any macaroni of a similar size will work. Cooking times may vary depending on the pasta.
- Use ground chicken or your favorite plant based meat crumbles in place of the ground turkey or beef.
Variations and Mix-Ins
- Diced bell peppers or jalapenos are delicious additions, cook them with the meat and onions!
- Add a can of sweet corn alongside the beans.
- You can make this a Chili Mac and Cheese recipe by stirring 2 cups of shredded cheddar directly into the pot OR if you have leftover cheddar mac and cheese, stir that into the chili too!
- Spice it up with hot sauce and a dash of cayenne pepper, or add a can of diced green chiles.
Storage
Leftover chili mac can be stored in an airtight container for up to five days.
Reheat leftovers on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through or in the microwave.
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Easy One Pot Chili Mac
Ingredients
- 1 lb of ground turkey or beef see note
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 cans (14.5 oz each) of diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 1 can (15 oz) of dark or light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups of low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 packets (1.25 oz each) of your favorite chili seasoning mix
- 2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni
- Shredded cheddar cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onions. Cook until softened.
- Add the ground meat to the onions and season with the chili powder and garlic powder. Continue cooking until the meat is browned and cooked through.
- To the pot, add the tomatoes with their juices, the kidney beans, chicken broth, and the packets of chili seasoning mix. Stir the chili and bring to a boil.
- Add 2 cups of elbow macaroni to the pot and simmer the pasta until tender-about 15 minutes. Stir often to prevent sticking. Turn down the heat if the chili mac is bubbling too furiously. Note: If your chili is drying up as the macaroni cooks, add more water or broth.
- Once the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat and serve with a generous heap of grated cheddar cheese.
Notes
- I use 85% lean 15% fat ground meat for this recipe.
- If using low sodium chili seasoning, taste the chili before serving and add salt if needed.
- This recipe calls for a lot of garlic powder–this is intentional to season both the meat and the chili base.
- Chili powder and chili seasoning mix are two different products. Chili powder is a blend of spices and chili peppers, while chili seasoning mix is a blend of herbs, spices, chilis, and thickeners. You’ll need both chili powder and chili seasoning for this recipe.
Looks delicious and I love anything made in one pot! My husband loves noodles in his chili so I can’t wait to try this one!
I hope you guys love it! It’s definitely a favorite in our house!
This looks so delicious! I’m celiac but could easily convert to make it gf. Yummy!!
That is such a great idea! I love how versatile this recipe can be!!
The boys would love this! I can’t wait to try it.
I hope you guys love it!! And it’s so easy, I bet they’ll be happy to help make it!!