November 1, 2024

milkwoodhernehill

Can't Eat Food

Chili Mac – Once Upon a Chef

Chili Mac – Once Upon a Chef

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.

Winner, winner, kid-friendly dinner! This one-pot chili mac belongs in your weeknight recipe rotation.

Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)

A regular menu item in the school cafeteria when I was growing up, chili mac is one of those nostalgic dishes that reminds me of my childhood. It’s a comforting one-pot dish that you can have on the table in less than 45 minutes. When my kids were younger, it was one of my go-to weeknight dinners. Now I make a big batch when my nephews, Max and Leo (ages 9 and 7), come for dinner. I mean, with pasta, cheese, and ground beef, how can you go wrong with kids? Serve it with tortilla chips for dipping or crushing over the top.

What You’ll Need To Make Chili Mac

ingredients for chili mac

Step-by-step Instructions

cooking onions for chili mac

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt.

adding spices and garlic

Cook, stirring often, about 1 minute more.

onions. spices, and garlic

Add the beef.

adding ground beef

Cook, stirring and breaking apart the meat, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

cooked ground beef mixture

Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, oregano, sugar and pasta.

adding broth, tomato sauce, pasta to beef mixture

Bring to a boil.

bringing the chili mac to a simmer

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring every so often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, 9 to 12 minutes. Use a soup spoon to skim any grease off the top, if necessary.

pasta cooked al dente

Off the heat, add the evaporated milk and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted.

adding the cheese and evaporated milk to the chili mac

Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

chili mac ready to serve

Ladle the chili mac into bowls and sprinkle with scallions. Serve with more cheese and tortilla chips.

You May Also Like

Beef Chili Mac

Winner, winner, kid-friendly dinner! This one-pot chili mac belongs in your weeknight recipe rotation.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional; omit for less heat)
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 pound 85 or 90% lean ground beef
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 8 ounces (about 2 cups) elbow macaroni
  • 1 cup (8 oz) evaporated milk
  • 1½ cups (one 6-oz package) shredded Mexican cheese blend, plus more for serving
  • 3 medium scallions, dark green parts only, thinly sliced
  • Tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper (if using), and salt and cook, stirring often, about 1 minute more. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking apart the meat, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, oregano, sugar, and macaroni and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring every so often so the macaroni doesn’t stick to the bottom, until the pasta is al dente, 9 to 12 minutes. Use a soup spoon to skim any grease off the top, if necessary.
  3. Off the heat, add the evaporated milk and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Ladle the chili mac into bowls and sprinkle with the scallions. Serve with more shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 918
  • Fat: 46 g
  • Saturated fat: 20 g
  • Carbohydrates: 70 g
  • Sugar: 18 g
  • Fiber: 6 g
  • Protein: 55 g
  • Sodium: 1489 mg
  • Cholesterol: 155 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

See more recipes: