Chili Mac is an easy one-pot meal that can be ready in minutes. Filled with ground beef cooked with macaroni noodles and topped with cheese.
Chili Mac is a comforting one-pot dish that you can have on your table in just 30 minutes. When my kids were younger, it was one of my go-to meals that they absolutely loved. We've scaled down our big batch recipe into this wonderful single serving version so that it's ideal for one or two people to enjoy.
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What Is Chili Mac?
Chili mac is the ultimate combination of two popular dishes - chili and macaroni pasta. Our sensational ground beef dinner features plenty of vegetables, canned red or black beans (if you love chili without beans, simply leave them out), everyday spices, pasta, and cheese.
Why This Recipe Works
- Incredibly delicious: We start by making the chili first. We brown lean ground beef and combine it with sautéed onions, red bell peppers, and garlic. Then we add in the seasonings, beans, broth, and pasta. As the pasta cooks in the broth, it absorbs all of the wonderful flavors of the other ingredients.
- Ready in minutes: Our chili mac cooks in less than 30 minutes!
- Recipe doubles well: This single serving chili mac is ideal for serving one person. If you'd like to make a little more, simply double the ingredient amounts.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- Ground meat: Use lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork. You can even make a vegetarian chili mac by adding extra beans, using vegetable broth, and leaving out the ground meat.
- Vegetables: I love using chopped onions, red bell peppers, and garlic. This is a great recipe to be creative with. Consider using different vegetables like broccoli florets, carrots, or a handful of fresh spinach.
- Seasonings: I recommend using ground cumin, chili powder, and salt.
- Broth: I prefer using low-sodium chicken broth to control the salt content of the dish. If you use regular chicken broth, you might want to reduce the amount of salt you add. I always recommend tasting the finished dish and adding extra seasonings and salt if needed.
- Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this easy chili mac recipe and in every other recipe on One Dish Kitchen that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains a more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It's my favorite type of olive oil, but you may use lighter olive oil instead.
- Beans: I prefer using canned rinsed and drained red beans. You can use black beans, garbanzo beans, or great northern beans instead.
- Pasta: I use 2 ounces (57g) of uncooked elbow macaroni or you can use another small pasta shape. Two ounces of dried elbow macaroni is about ½ cup.
- Parmesan cheese: I like adding a little shredded Parmesan cheese as a topping.
How To Make Chili Mac For One
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes until tender.
Pro Tip: I believe the secret ingredient to good chili is fresh onions - but also garlic too. Technically, these are two ingredients but they seem to go hand in hand in so many good recipes. Freshly chopped onions and garlic add a depth of flavor that dried versions can't match.
- Add chopped garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
Pro Tip: Look for tomato paste that comes in a tube. You can find it in the same section of your grocery store where cans are found. A tube stays good in the refrigerator for much longer than canned. You can also freeze the leftover paste in ice cube trays. When frozen, pop the cubes out of the tray and store them in a zip-top bag in the freezer.
- Add the ground beef to the pan breaking up the ground beef as it cooks. Cook, stirring occasionally until meat is no longer pink and is starting to brown, 5 minutes.
Pro Tip: The best ground beef for chili has a little bit of fat. I think 85-90% is ideal. The small amount of fat adds richness to the sauce and keeps the meat moist.
- Pour in the broth, beans, cumin, salt, and chili powder and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the pasta, and cover the pot with a lid.
- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
- Transfer to a bowl, top with Parmesan cheese, and enjoy immediately.
Expert Tips
- Read through the entire recipe before beginning. This easy chili mac skillet recipe comes together quickly. Be sure to read through the recipe and the Ingredient Notes and gather your ingredients before starting.
- Drain the fat: If you're using ground beef with a higher fat content, you will need to drain the fat once the beef has browned.
- Add some heat: If you like chili with a bit of a kick, add chopped jalapeños or dried chili pepper flakes.
- Use extra cheese: Many people love cheesy chili mac so feel free to stir in a handful of shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
- Add a topping: Consider topping your dish with a layer of crushed tortilla chips for a nice crunch or a dollop of sour cream and freshly chopped green onions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Goulash and chili mac are very similar. Both of these ground beef meals are made in one pot. Goulash does not contain beans.
Combining chili with mac and cheese is a great idea. To make this chili mac more of a cheesy chili mac add plenty of cheese to the chili mac as it heats on the stove. I prefer using sharp cheddar cheese, a blend of cheddar and mozzarella, or monterey jack.
Yes! To make a vegetarian version simply replace the ground beef with a plant-based "meat" or use extra beans. Also, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Absolutely. Although elbow macaroni is perfect for chili mac, you can use other types of pasta as well. I recommend using small shaped pasta like bowtie, penne, or rotini.
Yes. If you'd like to make a second bowl of chili mac just double the ingredient amounts.
How To Store
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat chili mac in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through. Alternatively, you can reheat this dish in the microwave.
Variations
- No Beans: If you like your chili without beans, leave them out. Keep the rest of the recipe the same.
- Make It Spicy: Add a little extra chili powder or some freshly chopped jalapeños.
- Mexican Chili Mac: Make a Mexican-inspired version by adding pepper jack cheese and taco seasoning.
- Use Different Vegetables: Add in other vegetables that you may have on hand like broccoli florets or mushrooms.
- Make A Dairy-Free Chili Mac: This is easy to do by simply leaving out the Parmesan cheese topping.
Serving Suggestions
You might like to enjoy your bowl of chili mac with any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small batch chili mac recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes.
- Ground beef: Meat Sauce, Hamburger Casserole, Mini Meatloaf, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Stuffed Peppers
- Onions: Mushroom Casserole, Chicken Tortellini Soup, Pizza Bowl, Green Bean Casserole, White Chicken Chili
- Garlic: Corn Casserole, Chickpea Curry, Penne alla Vodka, Baked Pasta With Roasted Vegetables, Cowboy Caviar
- Tomato paste: Coq au Vin, Mushroom Pasta, Chicken Tagine, Irish Stew, Crawfish Pasta
- Chicken broth: Chicken and Dumplings, Risotto, Turkey Cutlets, Chicken and Rice Casserole, Potato Soup
- Beans: Red Beans and Rice, Classic Beef Chili, Turkey Chili, Taco Soup, Chili Baked Potato
- Cumin: Butter Chicken, Vegetarian Enchiladas, Baba Ganoush, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Southwest Wrap
- Chili powder: Zuppa Toscana, Steak Fajitas, Beef Tacos, Tomato Soup, Beef Enchiladas
- Macaroni: Macaroni and Cheese, Goulash, Swedish Meatballs, Tuna Casserole, Buttered Noodles
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
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Recipe
Chili Mac For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- ¼ cup chopped red bell peppers
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 4 ounces lean ground beef
- ¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup canned red beans , rinsed and drained
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ cup dried elbow macaroni (2 ounces/57g)
- 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes until tender.
- Add chopped garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
- Add the ground beef to the pan breaking up the ground beef as it cooks. Cook, stirring occasionally until meat is no longer pink and is starting to brown, 5 minutes.
- Pour in the broth, beans, cumin, salt, and chili powder and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the pasta, and cover the pot with a lid.
- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
- Transfer to a bowl, top with Parmesan cheese, and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Read through the entire recipe before beginning. This easy chili mac skillet recipe comes together quickly. Be sure to read through the recipe and the Ingredient Notes and gather your ingredients before starting.
- Drain the fat: If you're using ground beef with a higher fat content, you will need to drain the fat once the beef has browned.
- Add some heat: If you like chili with a bit of a kick, add chopped jalapeños or dried chili pepper flakes.
- Use extra cheese: Many people love cheesy chili mac so feel free to stir in a handful of shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
- Add a topping: Consider topping your dish with a layer of crushed tortilla chips for a nice crunch or a dollop of sour cream and freshly chopped green onions.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Ray W. says
I made this recipe tonight and was delighted that I did. It came together quickly, and the taste hit the spot. The only change I made was to use less salt. (I am trying to cut back on salt). I plan to use the left-over beans in Your Red Bean and Rice recipe.
Rebecca Hodges says
I like this with plenty of cheddar cheese instead of parmesan. I double the recipe for my husband and I and then we have 1 serving left over for lunch the next day.
J. Hegyi says
Terrific recipe.