This One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese is two great comfort foods all in one! Delicious and hearty, quick and comforting, perfect dinner for back to school and ready in under 30 minutes.
This dish is perfect in many ways. It’s made in one pot, it’s done in 30 minutes which makes it the perfect for back to school dinners, and most importantly it’s the epitome of comfort food. It’s one of those dishes that you wish to keep eating once you start. It really is a one pot wonder!
I love dishes like these because they’re great pantry cleaners, so if you don’t have some of the ingredients I used today have fun with the substitutes! It’s such a sneaky way to incorporate some veggies into your dinner, and since it’s so good it’s one of those dishes you won’t be able to stop eating once you start.
Ingredients
The ingredients are simple and you probably have everything on hand already. As always refer to my printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions and measurements.
- Olive Oil – My oil of choice for browning meats.
- Ground beef – I use extra lean, the excess fat would be unnecessary in this recipe otherwise.
- Onion – White or yellow is fine, something that can hold up to cooking.
- Garlic – I used fresh but minced is fine if you prefer, remember 1 1/2 teaspoon is equal to one fresh clove.
- Spices – For this recipe I used cumin, cayenne, chili powder, black pepper, and salt. A good quality chili powder will make all the difference in the world!
- Beans –I used black beans and kidney beans, both out of the can and drained and rinsed. If using dried beans, please refer to this guide for black beans and this guide for kidney beans to ensure your beans are suitable to eat.
- Diced Tomatoes – The perfect way to use up that can you’ve had sitting around a while. This will add brightness and acidity to the dish.
- Chicken broth – Low sodium is preferred, if you are soaking your beans in a salt mixture I recommend no sodium broth.
- Elbow pasta – This can be replaced with any shape pasta.
- Parsley – My favorite fresh garnish for both color and flavor!
- Cheese – I used cheddar cheese for this one pot chili mac and cheese recipe but any sharp cheese will do. A blend of cheddar and mozzarella, or Monterrey jack would work perfectly well.
How To Make One Pot Chili Mac And Cheese
- Prepare the beef: In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high and add your beef. Cook till you no longer see pink. If using a fattier ground beef drain the fat at this stage. Stir in the onion and allow to cook this translucent, add the garlic and cook till fragrant.
- Incorporate the chili: Add the spices and stir, then follow with your canned ingredients, broth, and uncooked pasta. Stir everything together once more and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cover to allow the chili mac and cheese to cook, usually between 9 – 12 minutes. Stir in one cup of cheese and then sprinkle the remainder over top, cover to allow the cheese to melt.
- Garnish: Once the cheese is melted your dish is ready! Garnish with parsley and serve up hot.
Leftovers
This recipe will also make quite a bit of chili mac and cheese, so there will be plenty of leftovers to take to work the next day. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days. If freezing allow the dish to fully cool in a shallow container before placing in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Others Ways To Make Chili Mac And Cheese
Slow cooker
Cook the beef, onions, and garlic according to the directions above. Then combine all ingredients in the slow cooker, save for the cheese, and cook on high for 2 hours. Check if the pasta has cooked to al dente perfection every 20 minutes after, don’t worry sometimes it can take up to an additional hour. Follow the above directions in regards to cheese and garnish.
Pressure cooker
Cook the beef, onions, and garlic according to the directions above in the instant pot on saute. Add the remaining ingredients, save for the cheese, and cook on the manual mode at high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure and heat to release naturally before removing the lid. Stir in half the cheese, saving the rest for garnish along side the parsley and serve!
More great recipes to try:
- World’s Best Chili
- Healthier Beef Chili
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Pork Chili Verde
- Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
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One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef extra lean
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp black pepper ground
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 26 oz diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 10 oz elbow pasta uncooked
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Since I’m using extra lean ground beef there’s no need to drain the fat, but if you’re using fatter ground beef, drain whatever fat there is.
- Stir in the onion and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes or until the onion softens and becomes translucent and the garlic is aromatic.
- Add the cayenne pepper, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and stir. Add the black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, chicken broth and elbow pasta. Stir everything together and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for about 9 to 12 minutes or until the elbow macaroni is cooked.
- Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese then sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top. Cover the pot for about 1 minute just until the cheese melts.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Gloria L says
This is such a hit.
A few things. I notice in the comments about it being soupy, mine was not, heres my tweaks on the recipe.
I did not use cumin, cayenne pepper, or parsley.
I added Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, sriracha hot chili sauce, hog wild seasoning.
I used organic ziti rigati pasta.
I ate mine without cheese, it was the best homemade chili I’ve ever made in my life.
I found your recipe thru a tiktok’r who had a video about how to find recipes based on your ingredients at home. Your recipe popped up on super cook…. I clicked from there… how happy my little family is right now.
Rose says
Yummy! And it’s easy to make. A great recipe.
The kids keep saying it’s sooo gooood!!!
Ashley M. says
Loved this! I saw the comments about too soupy, and went with 2 1/4 cups broth, and drained tomatoes and beans, turned out perfect! Added extra cheese for my husband 😁
Judith says
As with a few other comments I found this turned out a bit soupy, but my husband went back for seconds and said it was wonderful, mopping it up with crusty bread, so it certainly wasn’t a disaster. Next time I’ll start with less stock and see where I go from there, but there’ll certainly be a next time!
Jo Cooks Team says
That’s a great idea! Start with a bit less and add more as needed. We’re glad the recipe was a hit for both of you 🙂
Barbara says
I tried this today and it’s AWESOME!!
Lila Anne Metts says
So Very Yummy !!!
floweraura.com/cakes says
I loved this recipe. The step by step explanation is great. Please share some more good recipe on my mail.
Ashli says
My kids and I loved this!! Thank you!
Monica Miller says
I found that it was way too watery, next time I make it which I will not put as much liquid in it. And the elbow macaroni started to get mushy so that will be changed also but other than that it’s a great recipe
Jane says
I just made this for dinner and somehow it came out more soupy than I had expected. It was still tasty, my husband went for seconds. But the texture wasn’t cheesy as the picture above. Are you suppose to drain the tomatoes from the can? Or should I have cooked the pasta longer than 12 minutes, til the pasta becomes even bigger (mine was cooked through but rather similar to its original size). I’m still a beginner to cooking, and I try to follow the recipe to the best of my ability :p It’s hard to tell where I went wrong, and have to think back what I might have done wrong in my steps.
I consult your webpage often for new dinner ideas. Love the pictures and content you’ve created!
Nicole Beaulieu says
If you were happy with the doneness of the noodles, then you can add less broth next time! If you find it to be soupy cooking it longer will always help but, of course, the noodles will get softer.
Monica Miller says
I just made that for dinner, the recipe called for 2 cups of cheese, I put in like six. it made it really good
jo says
Ha! I love it!
Geri says
OMG……this looks absolutely fabulous, I’m drooling!
Onlinecake.in says
Thanks for this excellent way to make chili mac super delish!!
Carol Salo says
Oh, this was so good and simple! I only omitted the red pepper because of my kids. I will definitely be making this again!
Jakub Przedzienkowski says
This one sounds great, will try it soon
Jess Long says
Any tips for doubling this recipe? I am making it for a work holiday party!
Nicole Beaulieu says
If you hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card, you can adjust the recipe to suit how many people you need to feed!
Lynda K says
I am eating this as I am typing my review. lol! I love the idea of one pot and not having to boil the elbows separately. This has just the right amount of kick to it and we loved the Mexican spices too. Hubs likes it real spicy so we may add sliced jalapeños next time. Another winning recipe from Jo!
Joanna Cismaru says
So happy you liked it, Lynda!