Chili Mac
This creamy Chili Mac recipe has thick and flavorful homemade chili combined with classic, creamy macaroni and cheese. This is a meal mashup that your family will want on repeat. It’s perfect for family dinners or for enjoying game day!
Be sure to serve this with a side of Cheddar Bay Biscuits or No Knead Bread!
Chili Mac
When I think of chili mac, my personal preference is to have a full combination of hearty chili, and creamy macaroni and cheese. A lot of recipes add cooked macaroni to a pot of chili and sprinkle cheese on top. This recipe fully combines both meals into one. (And you’ll know it when you taste it!)
Once each pot is ready to go, you can choose just how much chili you want to add to the macaroni, or vice versa. (Or just combine it all, like I do! 😉)
You can even put both pots out for family or friends and let them choose their own ratios and combination preferences!
BONUS: There are also a few make-ahead options below.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cook and crumble the ground beef and onions until cooked through. Drain grease and add the peppers and garlic, cook until softened. Add the seasonings and tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the tomato sauce, undrained diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
Mix in the kidney beans about 10 minutes prior to serving. Meanwhile, begin making roux for mac and cheese. Melt butter in a pan and whisk in flour. Add the heavy cream/milk in splashes, stirring continuously.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Add the hot sauce and seasonings. Reduce heat to low and stir in the cheese. Add drained macaroni.
Stir to combine the macaroni with the cheese sauce, then add the chili and stir to combine.
Top with cheese and bake at 400° for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley and serve!
Make-Ahead Methods:
- Option 1: Make the chili 1-2 days ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to serve. Reheat on the stove top until heated through, then proceed with cooking the macaroni and combining with the chili as outlined.
- Option 2: The chili and the macaroni can be assembled without the cheese topping and stored in the fridge until ready to serve. I suggest boiling the macaroni 1 minute shy of al dente in this case. When ready to serve, reheat the chili mac on the stop top until heated through. Top with cheese and bake at 400° for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Pro Tips
- Shred the cheese from a block as it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow Cheese.
- The beans in the chili can be omitted if preferred. Drained/rinsed black beans may be used instead of kidney beans as well.
- Monterey Jack Cheese makes a nice addition to the cheddar as well.
- You can’t taste the hot sauce in the mac and cheese, it is used as a flavor enhancer. I usually use Texas Pete Hot Sauce. (Frank’s hot sauce is my trusty backup!)
- Cornbread makes an excellent side dish with this!
- 📘 Find this recipe on page 202 of my 2nd cookbook, Let’s Eat!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Leftovers can be frozen and do reheat well, be extra careful not to overcook the macaroni so that it’s not mushy when reheated. (I always use a timer.)
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 4.5 quart Dutch oven– The perfect size for this recipe.
- Box Cheese Grater– Shredding from a block tastes and melts much better than packaged cheese.
- Pinch Bowls– for measuring out ingredients ahead of time.
- Pasta Strainer– This is the one I have and love.
Try These Next
Get My Free E-Book!
- I’ve got a FREE e-Book with 7 super popular dinner recipes! Click here to join my email list and I’ll send your e-Book right over!
- And be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, & Facebook!
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chili Mac
Ingredients
Chili
- 1 lbs. ground beef, 80% lean
- 1 small onion, diced
- ½ cup bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1.25 oz. packet chili seasoning mix, see notes for homemade seasoning
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
- ½ cup chicken broth, can sub beef broth
- 1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
Mac and Cheese
- 2 cups macaroni, uncooked
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon each: salt/pepper
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
For Baking
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- Fresh Parsley, to garnish
Instructions
Make the Chili
- Cook and crumble the ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the beef is brown and the onions are softened. Drain grease.
- Add the bell peppers and the garlic and cook until the peppers are softened, about 4 minutes. Add the seasoning and tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato sauce, undrained diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce so that it’s bubbling gently. Cover partially and let it simmer while you prepare the macaroni and cheese. The longer it simmers, the thicker and more concentrated it will get. Add the drained kidney beans during the last 10 minutes or so.
Make the Mac and Cheese
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Begin boiling salted pasta water for the macaroni. Proceed with preparing the cheese sauce while it comes up to a boil. Once boiling, add the macaroni and cook according to package instructions, until just al dente. (Don’t overcook it.) Drain once cooked.
- Melt the butter in a 4 ½ quart Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat and wait for it to begin to foam slightly. Whisk in the flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream in splashes, stirring continuously. Add the milk in the same manner.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the hot sauce and seasonings and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low.
- Gradually sprinkle in the shredded cheese, stirring continuously, until well-combined and smooth.
- Add the drained macaroni and stir to combine. (For extra cheesy macaroni, add slightly less pasta as the noodles will continue to absorb the cheese sauce. My images show it with the full amount being added.)
Combine the Chili & Macaroni
- Add the chili to the macaroni and use a silicone spatula to gently stir to combine. You may choose to add all of it, (as shown in the images), or some of it, the ratio of mac and cheese to chili is up to you! You can always freeze any excess chili.
Bake
- Once combined, top with 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve!
Notes
- Shred the cheese from a block as it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow Cheese.
- Monterey Jack Cheese makes a nice addition to the cheddar as well.
- The beans in the chili can be omitted if preferred. Drained/rinsed black beans may be used instead of kidney beans as well.
- You can't taste the hot sauce in the mac and cheese, it is used as a flavor enhancer. I usually use Texas Pete Hot Sauce. (Frank's hot sauce is my trusty backup!)
- Cornbread makes an excellent side dish with this!
- 📘 Find this recipe on page 202 of my 2nd cookbook, Let's Eat!
Homemade Chili Seasoning (What I usually use for this recipe) • 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne
Make-Ahead Methods:
- Option 1: Make the chili 1-2 days ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to serve. Reheat on the stove top until heated through, then proceed with cooking the macaroni and combining with the chili as outlined.
- Option 2: The entire recipe can be assembled without the cheese topping and stored in the fridge until ready to serve. I suggest boiling the macaroni 1 minute shy of al dente in this case. When ready to serve, reheat the chili mac on the stop top until heated through. Top with cheese and bake at 400 ° for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Leftovers can be frozen and do reheat well, be extra careful not to overcook the macaroni so that it's not mushy when reheated. (I always use a timer.)
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per cup. There are approximately 18 cups in this recipe.
Nutrition
Perfect recipe for a chilly spring evening! Thank you.
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for the great review!🩷
Just fab! i usually cook fancy meals. It was such a comforting meal! We gobbled it up! SOOOO good!.
I’m sooo happy that you loved it Norma!! Sometimes a cozy non-fancy meal is just what’s needed! 🙂 Thank you so much for the review!! ❤️
I love making this recipe did it twice and it so good
I’m so happy that you love it Sarah!!!! I do toooo! 🙂
Can you use any kind of leftover chili and then do the Mac and cheese part?
Hi Erin! Yes, you could warm up any kind of leftover chili, then prepare the mac & cheese and combine! 🙂
Why is 99% of the recipes call for cheese? I make Chili Mac, just making Chili and adding boiled elbow macaroni. A whole lot easier. This is back from my childhood, 1950’s and up.
This “Chili Mac” is a mashup between “Chili” and “Mac and Cheese”- Therefore, cheese is an important component, and is why 99% of the recipes you’re looking at include it 🙂 What you’re talking about is more of a Goulash. I would try looking that up.
This was delicious! I made it for my small, picky eaters, and they liked it too. Step #3 under Mac N Cheese is important as it’s the base for the mac n cheese. Directions explain it perfectly, and stirring is the key. Thank you for sharing the recipe- it’s now in our dinner rotation!
Hi Jessica! I’m so glad that this was a hit for you and your picky eaters! I’m happy that you appreciate the instructions as well, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, you’re the best!! 🙂 -Stephanie
I’d like to make this for a group. We serve about 50 people. I’d add cornbread & salad. How many servings would you say one batch makes?
Thanks!
Denise
Hi Denise! I’d say one batch would serve about 11-12 people. (That’s roughly 1.5 cups per person, which is a generous portion I’d say, given that there will also be cornbread and salad!) 🙂
This recipe is amazing! So delicious. Could you make this in the crockpot?
So happy to hear that you love it Desiree! This recipe relies on using various temperatures on the stove top, I don’t have an alternative method outlined for the crock pot. ❤️
Love this recipe! It’s my go to! I make the chili with Chimayo red chili powder though!! It’s our family’s recipe. Sshhh😋 it’s Soo delicious!!!!!
Sounds so yummy Mandi! I’m so happy you’re enjoying this one, thanks so much for taking the time to comment❤️
Made this tonight and it is amazing. I didn’t have any heavy cream so I used regular plain yogurt and it was still a big hit with the family. It will definitely stay in rotation.
I’m so happy that the recipe was a hit! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! -Stephanie 🙂