Looking for a quick and easy chili mac recipe for dinner? Look no further because our stove top chili mac and cheese recipe is one of our most popular comfort food recipes and best of all, kids love this!

One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese Recipe in a cooking pan

Easy Chili Mac and Cheese Recipe

You can make it on the stove top and not even have to heat up your oven! It’s a big pot of cheesy chili macaroni and cheese that can feed a whole family. The flavors of the homemade chili with cheese and macaroni always hits the spot. If you don’t want to add beans, just remove them from the pot. There’s someone for everyone! Every bite of this amazing pasta dinner is comfort food for chili lovers.

Video: Best Chili Mac and Cheese

One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese Recipe in a cooking pan

Can you freeze Chili Mac and Cheese?

Yes! It’s the perfect make ahead dish too. Just assemble it a day ahead and when you’re ready to bake you can combine the cooked macaroni with the chili and cheese. Or you can assemble the whole thing and before you heat it up on the stove top or in the oven. If you have leftover stove top mac and cheese, you can easily freeze it. When you’re ready to eat, thaw it a day ahead of time and just re-heat. Add some extra cheese if you like after freezing and re-heating because it’s so good with more cheese.

How to Make Stove Top Chili Mac and Cheese

  • We like cooking with the small macaroni pasta because there’s more chili in each bite. But you can cook with the larger macaroni if you like.
  • Make sure to season the pasta well with salt and pepper. The salt really brings out the flavor.
  • The best part about our recipe is that you can make it all on the stove top and in one pot. You can add beans if you like.
  • Don’t like beans? You can easily omit the beans and it’s still a great tasting chili Mac and cheese with no beans. We love sautéing everything on the stop top for more flavor.
  • Add as much cheese as you like!
  • The full recipe is in the recipe box below and you can print it out.
Easy skillet pasta recipe in one pot
One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese Recipe | BestRecipeBox.com

One Pot Chili Mac & Cheese

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
You can make this with or without beans. If you really like beans, you can double the amount of beans. Adjust the amount of cheese to your preference.
5 from 8 votes

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Ingredients

  • 8 oz. (227 g) Elbow Macaroni Pasta , uncooked
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Olive Oil
  • 1 pound (4534 g) ground Beef
  • 1 small Onion , diced
  • 4 cloves Garlic , minced
  • 30 oz. (850 g) Tomato sauce , (two 15 oz. cans or @ 4 cups) crushed, diced or regular
  • 15 oz. (425 g) canned Beans (black, pinto, cannellini, etc…), drained and rinsed
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Chili Powder
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground Cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) dried Oregano leaves
  • Kosher Salt , to taste
  • fresh cracked Black Pepper
  • 1-2 cups (113-226 g) grated Cheddar Cheese

Optional Toppings:

  • Additional cheese
  • sour cream
  • red onions
  • green onions

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season well with salt. Add 8 oz. pasta and cook until al dente, usually about 8-12 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and set pasta aside.
    Cook macaroni in pot of boiling water
  • Return pot to stove on medium-high heat. Add the 1 Tablespoon olive oil, then add the 1 lb. ground beef. Break up beef into small chunks and cook until browned. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Cook onions and garlic until fragrant and soft.
    Brown meat with chopped onions and garlic
  • Add 30 oz. (@4 cups) tomato sauce, 15 oz. canned beans, 2 Tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves. Bring to a simmer, give it a good even stir and lower heat to continue simmering. Cook for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
    Add tomato sauce and spices with beans
  • Stir the cooked pasta and 1-2 cups of cheese into the chili. Cook for another minute or so until the pasta is warmed through and cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite toppings.
    Stir in cooked pastas with the chili and meat sauce

Video

YouTube video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 404kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 855mg, Potassium: 787mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1201IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 165mg, Iron: 4mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Calories: 404

Using Other Types of Pasta for this One Pot Recipe

You can certainly use another type of pasta. But if you’re short on time, the pasta should be small enough to cook quickly. That’s why we’re using the small macaroni pasta. But if you love other types of pasta, this is great also! Just know it will extend cooking time to boil pasta like rotini, fusili or anything larger than a mini macaroni pasta.

Ground Chicken, Turkey or Pork?

If you prefer using ground chicken, ground turkey or ground pork, then this is another great option. Traditionally this skillet chili mac and cheese uses ground beef. But this recipe is so flexible that you can use what ever type of ground beef that you want.

Here’s more great macaroni and easy one pot recipes for you:

Easy Chili Mac & Cheese RECIPE