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    You are here: Home / Dinner / One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

    One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

    Last Updated October 23, 2021. Published February 20, 2020 By Lorie 10 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    What do you get when your favorite comfort foods hang out? Simple and delicious One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese! An easy weeknight dinner without any extra dishes or mess!

    Chili mac and cheese in bowl with sour cream and jalapeno.

    What do we want?! One Pot Dinners!

    When do we want them?! Every single day!!!

    That's right friends, it's what we want and today, it's what we get. Too many dishes to make one dish for dinner is just not something we want to deal with. If a meal can do it all without making extra clean up, then you know I am in.

    And this One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese is the latest recipe to add to your simple dinner collection. If you LOVE mac and cheese on its own, also check out this Gruyere Mac and Cheese!

    Our toddler ate this meal by the fistful so technically I should be able to write that and then say "The End," but if you know me, then you know that it's never that short and sweet. Ha. It is getting late though so I won't stick around too long today.

    What you will need to make this recipe:

    • onion: I have used red and yellow onions in this recipe. Both are great. I tend to have red onions in the house always so that's what I had on hand the day I took these photos.
    • Ground chuck or sirloin are what I use most often when making this chili mac and cheese.
    • I often use no salt added kidney beans, broth, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. I don't like my food too salty so this allows me to make this recipe to taste. The salt content in the recipe is higher in the calculations than it would be if using no salt added ingredients.

    How to make this recipe:

    Process shots to cook onions, peppers and ground beef.
    • Heat up a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat. Add in peppers and onions and cook until the onions start to become slightly translucent. Push the veggies to the side and add the ground beef. (steps 1 and 2)
    • Break the meat into smaller chunks and stir regularly to brown. Depending on how much grease you have in the pot, you may want to drain the excess. If so, feel free to do so. The type of ground beef you use may not produce too much and you won't need to drain. (steps 3 and 4)
    Process shots making chili mac.
    • Add in tomatoes (I do not drain the liquid from the tomatoes), tomato sauce, broth, kidney beans and spices and stir to combine. Cover and allow to heat for several minutes to bring to a low boil. At this point you are heating the liquid part up to prep for the macaroni. You will want the liquid to be hot enough before you add the pasta. (steps 5 and 6)
    • Add pasta and stir to combine. Cover once again and cook for about 13 minutes or until pasta is al dente. During this time, stir several times. Keep an eye that the liquid doesn't come above a low boil. You don't want too much liquid to boil down. If it does seem to be boiling too much, lower the heat slightly. (steps 7 and 8)
    Process shots including cheese added to the pot and melting.
    • Once the pasta is al dente, turn the heat to low, stir in the cheese and allow to melt. It will thicken up a bit more if it sits to simmer for several minutes, or you can serve it up with some extra cheese on top! (steps 9 and 10)

    Pro-Tips and Notes:

    • The measurements are based off of using regular elbow macaroni pasta. If you decide to use another pasta, it's likely that you may need more or less liquid. Just keep a close eye on it after adding the pasta.
    • You don't have to use ground beef for this recipe. You could certainly use ground turkey, chicken, or even a vegetarian ground meat substitute. Any should work just fine!
    • Feel free to play around with the heat on this one. I tone it down a bit for Sam, and then add some extra hot sauce or red pepper flakes when the hubby and I dive in.
    Overhead shot of bowl with chili mac and cheese.

    Try these other simple dinner recipes:

    • Simple Turkey Pepper Skillet
    • Slow Cooker Brisket Chili
    • Parmesan Crusted Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
    • Mediterranean Steak Bites with Yogurt Sauce
    • Parmesan Crusted Steak and Potato Sheet Pan Dinner
    • Sweet and Smoky Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

    HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for all the latest!

    Chili mac and cheese in bowl with sour cream and jalapeno.

    One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

    What do you get when your favorite comfort foods hang out? Simple and delicious One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese! An easy weeknight dinner without any extra dishes or mess!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 565kcal
    Author: Lorie Yarro

    Ingredients 

    • 1 lb ground beef
    • 2 c macaroni, uncooked
    • 1 onion, small diced
    • 1 green bell pepper, small diced
    • 1 can diced tomatoes
    • 1 can kidney beans, drained
    • 8 oz tomato sauce
    • 2 c chicken broth
    • 2 c shredded cheddar cheese
    • ½ T chili powder
    • ½ T cumin
    • ½ - 1 teaspoon oregano
    • 3-4 garlic cloves minced
    • ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper or less
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • ½ teaspoon Sea salt (more or less to taste)
    • olive oil

    Instructions

    • In a large pan or pot, add a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat and allow to heat up. Add in onion and pepper and cook until onion begins to become translucent.
    • Add ground beef and cook until browned and cooked through. Make sure to break up any large chunks. Drain if desired to get rid of excess oil. 
    • Add in tomatoes, garlic, kidney beans, chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, red pepper, salt and pepper. Cover and allow to cook for several minutes to slightly thicken and heat up to a low boil.
    • Add in macaroni and cover once again. Heat another 13-15 minutes or until macaroni is al dente, stirring occasionally.
    • Before serving, stir in cheese and allow to melt. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!

    Notes

    • The measurements are based off of using regular elbow macaroni pasta. If you decide to use another pasta, it's likely that you may need more or less liquid. Just keep a close eye on it after adding the pasta.
    • You don't have to use ground beef for this recipe. You could certainly use ground turkey, chicken, or even a vegetarian ground meat substitute. Any should work just fine!
    • Feel free to play around with the heat on this one. I tone it down a bit for Sam, and then add some extra hot sauce or red pepper flakes when the hubby and I dive in.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 1034mg | Potassium: 885mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 920IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 364mg | Iron: 5mg
    Did you try this recipe? I would love to see it! Mention @LemonsAndZest or tag #LemonsAndZest!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karen says

      May 08, 2021 at 12:56 pm

      5 stars
      Both my husband and son ate this meal heartily while telling me I must add this to our dinner rotation. I enjoyed it too! Win all around.

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        May 10, 2021 at 9:11 am

        Yes! Love hearing this! One of my faves!!!

        Reply
    2. Jen says

      January 24, 2021 at 7:00 pm

      This is my first recipe I’ve tried out of the bunch I’ve saved since discovering you a couple weeks ago. Uh, yum!! My husband isn’t one to say much when I stray from my usual repertoire, but tonight he was peeking into the skillet constantly and right after his first bite he said, “Oh, yeah. This is good!” He had 3 plates! I loved it too. So easy to make and one dish, hello! Winner!

      I subbed in black beans because I’m not a fan of kidney beans (and it’s the only kind I had left in the pantry), but I can’t imagine that changed anything.

      I can’t wait to try my next recipe!

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        January 25, 2021 at 8:20 pm

        I love all of this Jen! One dish is always a win for us-- I can't STAND doing the dishes. Thanks for letting me know about the husband approval too!

        Reply
    3. MJac says

      March 21, 2020 at 10:22 am

      What size can of diced tomatoes? 28oz or smaller?

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        March 21, 2020 at 2:38 pm

        Hi! 14.5 oz is what I used. Will update the recipe to include this. Thanks~

        Reply
    4. Maria says

      March 13, 2020 at 8:48 am

      Can't wait to try this during extended spring break!!!

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        March 14, 2020 at 12:22 pm

        Yay!!! Yea, everyone is gonna have lots of extra time in the kitchen the coming weeks.

        Reply
    5. linda says

      October 30, 2019 at 9:41 am

      this looks great - i too loved Hamburger Helper!!!!! I will try this on the weekend- thinking i will also add Garbonzo beans along with the kidney beans. Thanks for sharing

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        November 01, 2019 at 10:21 pm

        Sounds perfect to me. Enjoy it Linda!

        Reply

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