This Easy Chili Mac recipe is one-pot comfort food with tender noodles, tasty ground beef chili, and creamy cheese in 30 minutes with pantry ingredients.
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It's time to break the boring mac and cheese habit with the lunchroom classic from the 1950s. Chili mac is also chili macaroni and cheese. This is a classic Midwest lunchroom dish that is economical and easy to make at home with pantry ingredients.
Most chili mac recipes make a simple chili and add cooked pasta. But this recipe for chili mac simmers the chili ingredients with milk and the uncooked pasta to cook both simultaneously. Then, add the cheese at the end for maximum creaminess.
Serve with cornbread, cornmeal biscuits, or homemade bread.
Try other lunchroom recipes for the 50s and 60s like Lunch Lady Rolls, Cheese Goulash, Tuna Noodle Casserole, and Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole.
You will love these other comfort food casseroles like Spicy Jambalaya, Cheesy Jambalaya, and Spicy Smoked Sausage Pasta.
🐄Ingredients
- Ground meat—standard 80/20 ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken
- Dry pasta—bit size standard pasta like elbow or shells
- Onion
- Dice tomatoes—or RoTel (diced tomatoes with green chilis)
- Milk
- Cheese—cheddar cheese, Monterey jack, or Mexican blend
- Pantry ingredients—chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper. Drained kidney beans are optional for more of a chili taste.
👨🍳How to Make This Chili Mac Recipe
- Brown ground meat with chopped onion and spices until brown and onion clearing.
- Drain the meat, add milk and diced tomatoes, bring to a boil, add uncooked pasta, then decrease to simmer and cover.
- Cook until pasta is tender. This will vary by pasta type but usually 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add two cups of cheese of your choice. Mix in well and serve.
✔️Tips and variations
- You can use a can of drained diced tomatoes. With the drained tomatoes, this chili mac will be a bit bland, and you might want to up the chili powder by a teaspoon or a touch of cayenne pepper.
- With RoTel™, the spiciness is 5/10—most of the heat is from the RoTel™.
- Drained kidney beans may be added with the pasta if you want more of a chili dish but don't overdo it.
- Be sure to stir occasionally during simmering since things stick to the pot without using a non-stick pan.
- The cooking time of the pasta will tend to be a little longer than the recommended time on the package but check with each stir.
❓FAQs
They are very similar, but chili mac strives for a cheese sauce like mac and cheese, while goulash will lack the cheesy sauce and will have more of a paprika spicing true to its mid-European roots.
Good stored in an airtight container for 4 days in the refrigerator or frozen for 3 months.
Reheats well in the microwave or on the stovetop on medium heat. Thaw before reheating if frozen.
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Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Chop one small onion.
Start browning meat over medium-high heat in a large pan—non-stick preferred.
Add 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
After the meat is browned and the onion translucent, drain the fat.
Add a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes drained or a can of Rotel undrained. Stir in 2 ½ cup milk, bring to a boil, and add two cups of uncooked dry pasta.
Lower to simmer and cover. Cook until pasta is tender. This will vary by pasta type but will generally be 12-15 minutes.
Remove from heat and add 2 cups of cheese of your choice. Mix well and serve.
📖 Recipe
Easy Chili Mac
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef - ground turkey or chicken will work
- 1 onion - small
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 14 oz diced tomatoes - drained or substitute 1 can of RoTel™
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 2 cups smaller dry pasta - elbow macaroni or shells
- 2 cups cheese of your choice - usually mild cheddar
Instructions
- Chop one small onion.
- Start browning meat over medium-high heat in a large pan—non-stick preferred.
- Add 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- After the meat is browned and the onion translucent, drain the fat.
- Add a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes drained or a can of Rotel undrained. Stir in 2 ½ cup milk, bring to a boil, and add two cups of uncooked dry pasta.
- Lower to simmer and cover. Cook until pasta is tender. This will vary by pasta type but will generally be 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add 2 cups of cheese of your choice. Mix well and serve.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro TIps
- You can use ground turkey or chicken if you want.
- If you want more of a chili feel, add some drained kidney beans with the uncooked pasta.
- The RoTel will kick the heat up some. It is optional. The dish with drained diced tomatoes is a bit bland, and consider adding 1 teaspoon more of chili powder.
- If you want more of a baked casserole dish, cover the top with some cheese at the end and place it under a broiler for a few minutes.
- Good refrigerated for 4 days and frozen for 3 months.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published September 28, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Leslie
Personally, this was too bland for my taste. I added more cheese and other spices to jazz it up, otherwise we would not have eaten it.
Sandra Beathard
Have you tried this recipe using Velveeta vs shredded cheese?
If so, what was the difference (good or bad) in taste -- your Chili Mac recipe reads delicious.
Thanks.
Sandra B
DrDan
I have not been repeating this recipe since it reminds my wife of school lunches. The recipe is written for shredded cheese of any type. I personally like velvet and it would be fine. Do about 2 cups shredded or 8 oz by wt.
Jane Arkell
This looks like a really excellent "comfort food "go-to"....the recipe itself lends itself to so many changes, add-ons, etc. I LOVE the pictures of your Goldens...we have two boys (womb) mates and have just turned 5 - They all seem to have that same look. Thanks for all of the good recipes. I just discovered your page...I definitely will be back.
Chris
Maybe this is just dude food, because I think I'd love this.