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This hearty, one pot chili mac recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Easy and quick to make, it’s a great weeknight meal choice for your family!
When my mom began cooking for two, after my brothers and I left home, she made several recipes that she never made for our family. One of those dishes was a pot of chili. She put her own spin on it by leaving out the beans (because my dad really didn’t like them) and she added pasta instead. So what she was actually making was chili mac. This is her version.
Why This Recipe Works
- Uses basic, easy-to-find ingredients.
- Quick to make…it’s on the table in an hour.
- Very family-friendly (not too spicy!)
- Filling and delicious.
- Makes a great busy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
The Base
- Ground beef: one pound is plenty, but if you like extra meaty chili, up the amount to 1 1/2 lbs.
- Sweet onion: definitely don’t skip the onion! It lends the best flavor.
- Campbell’s tomato soup: adds a unique tomato taste and helps thicken the chili.
- Diced tomatoes: a great way to add a chunky texture.
- Tomato juice: very flavorful.
Pasta
Mini pasta works best, and our favorite is Ditalini. Other good choices are:
- mini penne
- mini farfalle
- elbow macaroni
- zoo animal pasta
- ABC pasta
- princess pasta
Seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- chili seasoning packet: I use McCormick Mild Flavor, but use whatever chili seasoning blend your family likes best.
Cheese
If time permits, freshly shredded colby jack is delicious as a topper on this chili mac. If you’re short on time, the bagged variety works too!
Substitutions
- Meat: equal amounts of ground turkey or ground chicken can be substituted for the ground beef.
- Spices: you can substitute spices for the seasoning packet. Begin with 1 teaspoon of chili powder and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Add more to taste. Paprika or a small amount of cayenne pepper can also be added.
- Tomato Juice: for a milder tomato flavor, chicken broth or beef broth can be substituted for the tomato juice.
- Tomato Soup: tomato sauce is a good substitution for the tomato soup.
- Pasta: it would slightly change the taste, but egg noodles can be substituted for the pasta.
- Cheese: definitely use your favorite cheese. Good suggestions are Colby Jack, Sharp Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or bagged 4 cheese blend.
Note: soup making is not an exact science. I have made countless pots of soup, and no two have turned out the same. The measurements in all of my soup recipes are guidelines, and can easily be adjusted according to your family’s tastes.
How to Make
This recipe is definitely at the beginner level. The only ingredient that needs chopped is the onions. It’s basically a dump and go dinner!
- Add olive oil to a large dutch oven. On medium-high heat, add onion. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add ground chuck. Cook until done.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain the excess fat from the pot.
- Add tomato soup, water, diced tomatoes, and tomato juice.
- Bring to a boil.
- Add pasta.
- Bring to a second boil, stirring constantly so pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Reduce to medium heat.
- Add 2 teaspoons chili seasoning. Add more until the chili has the taste you desire.
- Stir to combine everything well.
- Cover the pot and turn off the burner.
- Let the chili sit for 30 minutes on the stovetop.
- Serve very hot, topped with shredded cheese.
Cooking + Serving Tips
- After the 30 minute resting time, the pasta may take on a life of its own. If the chili mac gets too thick, add more tomato juice. If more tomato juice is added, taste again, and add more chili seasoning if necessary.
- This one pot chili mac recipe can be easily doubled to feed a crowd. You will need quite a big pot though!
- Serve in bowls, topped with freshly grated colby jack cheese.
- Chopped cilantro or chopped parsley would work great as garnishes.
Variations
- You can, of course, add beans! Good choices are pinto beans, kidney beans, or black beans.
- Instead of serving chili mac as a soup, layer it. Traditional chili mac is served with the pasta on the bottom, topped by the tomato/hamburger mixture. It’s mixed up after it’s served.
FAQ’s
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More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Apple Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner
- Meyer Lemon Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- Rosemary Parmesan Chicken
- Ham and Swiss Sliders for Two
Chili Mac Recipe: A One Pot Meal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- small sweet onion (chopped)
- 1 lb. ground chuck
- salt and pepper
- 2 cans Campbell's tomato soup (10.75 oz.)
- 1 1/4 cups water (or one soup can)
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz.)
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 1 c. ditalini pasta
- 1 package chili seasoning mix
- shredded cheese
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large dutch oven. On medium-high heat, add onion. Cook for 2 minutes. .
- Add ground chuck. Cook until done.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain the excess fat from the pot.
- Add tomato soup, water, diced tomatoes, and tomato juice.
- Bring to a boil.
- Add pasta.
- Bring to a second boil, stirring constantly so pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Reduce to medium heat.
- Add 2 teaspoons chili seasoning. Add more until the chili has the taste you desire.
- Stir to combine everything well.
- Cover the pot and turn off the burner.
- Let the chili sit for 30 minutes on the stovetop.
- Serve very hot, topped with shredded cheese.
Notes
If chili becomes too thick after pasta is fully cooked, add more tomato juice, followed by more chili seasoning.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you make this recipe, and love it, please come back to leave a comment and a 5-star review. I would really appreciate it, and it would help me so much. Thank you!
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Thanks for the yummy sounding soup recipe. I live in northern Vermont and now that we have cool weather, I love to make different soups. I make them up and store in the freezer in individual serving containers. Makes a great lunch!
Does this freeze well?
Hi Cynthia! I have never had good luck freezing cooked pasta. So if you want to freeze it, assemble the chili mac but leave out the pasta and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator. When you are heating on the stovetop, add the pasta and cook until the pasta is to your taste.
Delicious meal. Ingredients are in most kitchens.
I made this and it’s so delicious!! I used my own homemade V8 juice that I can every year and made a vegetarian version for my daughter. Thanks for sharing delicious recipes!
I made this today – it is absolutely delicious!!!
Going to try this as has all ingredients I love. Thanks!
Love your blog & always look at yours first. Your style of decorating is something I like.
Making it tonight! On the stove simmering now… looks 😋!
Looks yummy and leftovers are the best.
Oh, yum! This is what I call a “comfort food,” and it is certainly a dish that satisfies on a cold winter night! I think the leftovers taste even better when warmed the next day. Thanks Ann, for your version!
This looks delicious and easy. I even ordered the pot!
Thank you so much…you will love the pot!
This recipe brings back memories from my childhood! My mom made a similar version when we were kids. Sometimes, though, she left out the meat and we just had the beans and at other times it was just the tomatoes and pasta. There were eight of us kids, all with different food preferences, not to mention a very tight budget since my mom did not work outside the home. I still make a version of mom’s recipe every now and then when my husband and I just want some plain and simple comfort food.
Thanks for the recipe! I prefer to eat at home but struggle with dinner ideas. I think I shall try it tonight! It sounds delicious!!