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Our 30 Minute Chili Mac recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner that will get the family excited! We whip up a simple chili, stir in cooked macaroni, and swirl in the secret sauce! This chili mac recipe is always a hit!
Chili Mac is a family favorite, made with pasta + chili + secret sauce!
Chili Mac is All About the Secret Sauce!
There’s a restaurant around here that does the best Chili Mac and I can’t help but order it every time we visit.
It didn’t take me long to realize that homemade chili mac is super simple and now I make it myself in about 30 minutes a couple times a month.
Between this Chili Mac, my Creamy Baked Spaghetti, and our Beefaroni, we’ve been on major pasta kick lately. And I love it!!
The magic all happens with the secret sauce, which sounds dramatic and fancy, but it’s really just bottled chili sauce. You know the kind – it comes in a bottle and looks like ketchup. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and just adds the perfect kick.
Top our chili mac recipe off with some diced onions, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream and you’ve got a recipe that will keep people asking for seconds.
What Readers are Saying!
“I just made this and it was a huge hit for myself and my son! I believe his exact words were ”this was the goodest dinner ever.” Hey six year old’s don’t lie!!” – Jen
Ingredient Notes:
Ground Beef – We like our chili with lots of ground beef in it! You could also use ground turkey if you prefer to avoid red meat.
Macaroni – We keep it traditional with macaroni here, but really any shape of pasta is fine.
Chili Seasoning – You know those packets of dry chili seasoning in the store? You’re going to need one of those! Any brand you like will work. We like McCormick and always keep a stock of them in our pantry.
Brown Sugar – A little bit of sugar helps balance out all that chili powder.
Tomato Sauce – Using tomato sauce as the base makes for a thick, hearty chili.
Heinz Chili Sauce – Our secret ingredient! This classic chili sauce is going to add even more tomato flavor, but also a bit of spice and sweetness. This won’t make the dish spicy, so no worries there!
Toppings – You can use any toppings you’d like on your chili mac! I’m using some grated cheese, diced onion, and sour cream. Crackers work too, and diced jalapeno if you want to add some real spice to the dish.
How To Make Chili Mac:
Beef: To get started begin browning the ground beef over medium heat in a large pot. When it has cooked through drain the fat from the pan.
Chili: Add the tomato sauce, brown sugar, and packet of chili seasoning to the pot with the ground beef. Stir all that up until well combined and let it simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Macaroni: You’ll need a large pot of water and you should cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain the pasta when it has finished cooking and then return it to the pot or pop it in a serving bowl.
Combine: Pour the chili over the macaroni and top it all off with the Heinz chili sauce. Stir the chili mac up until the macaroni is well combined in the sauce! Give it a taste and add extra chili sauce, if you think it needs it, or serve the sauce on the side for people to add as much as they’d like.
Serving Suggestions:
We like to top our homemade chili mac off with a hefty sprinkle of shredded cheddar, a handful of diced onion, and a dollop of sour cream.
Pickled jalapenos, a drizzle of more chili sauce, and some crushed saltines are also delicious toppings!
Storage:
Keep your chili mac leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
We don’t love to freeze this one as pasta tends to get a bit mushy when reheating from the freezer. If you would like to freeze, freeze in a freezer safe bag or dish for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe FAQs:
Nope! We use Heinz chili sauce and while it does have more of a kick than ketchup, it’s pretty mild and adds a unique flavor.
To make a plant based chili mac, you’ll want to swap the ground beef for your favorite plant based ‘beef’ crumbles (we like Impossible or Beyond) or use pinto and/or kidney beans in place of the beef.
While we can’t say for sure, Cincinnati is thought to be the home of Chili Mac. It’s a popular dish throughout the Midwest and often served for school lunch.
Chili Mac
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 packet chili seasoning or your own mix
- 29 ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 pound macaroni
- 1/2 cup Heniz chili sauce
- shredded cheese, diced onion, sour cream for topping
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, brown the ground beef. Drain the fat and add the chili seasoning, tomato sauce, and brown sugar.
- Stir to combine and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
- While the chili is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to package directions. Drain the macaroni and return to the pot.
- Pour the chili into the pan with the cooked macaroni. Add the chili sauce and stir to combine.
- Serve with cheese, onions, and sour cream.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in May 2014. It was updated with new photos in March 2023. Original photos below.
Lisa says
This was super delicious, thanks so much for the great combination of flavors!! Interested in the name of the restaurant that serves”the best chili mac” for those days with so much to do with kid’s sports,etc. that we can just pick some ups,thanks again!!
Karly Campbell says
Oh gosh, it’s just Steak ‘n Shake! Haha – just fast food, but love their chili mac!
Emily P says
My family loved this! I make this all of the time now. My kids and husband love it + it’s definitely one of my favorites.
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Emily!
Mike Fuller says
Awesome recipe! Only thing I added to it was kidney beans.
Grandma Sue says
In our chili we much prefer to use Aldi Taco seasoning in a pouch. Different areas make things differently. We much prefer chili soup.
wildwildrose says
O MY! I made this today and it is delicious! I made copycat Heinz Chili Sauce and homemade Chili Seasoning and after throwing it all together put it in the crockpot on LO for about and hour and a half. Yum! This is a KEEPER! Thanks for sharing. Now I am even more excited to try even more of your recipes!
Karly says
So glad it turned out! Great idea to use the crockpot. 🙂
Bonnie Hauge says
We live in Fort Worth, Texas (Where the West Begins) and I’ve never considered the weather when making a pot of chili! I like chili sauce very much so think I will add it to the pot next time – thanks for the idea!
Sarah Baker says
I love chili Mac supreme at steak and shake but you never know how much you are getting! Sometimes it maybe a tbs or you may get an order! Depends on the server! It is like we may serve too much so they give you a tbsp!
Tom says
Hi Karly, Thanks for sharing this recipie! I thought you would be interested to know
that Spaghetti is a Macaroni product so even though Steak N Shake uses a spaghetti noodle for their
chilli-mac, it is still considered Macaroni! Spaghetti is just a version of a macaroni!!
Thanks!
Tom
Brandi says
Made this tonight. I was a little skeptical that everyone would like it, But it was a huge it. Even my pickiest liked it. I think next time I will use less brown sugar, it was a little too sweet for me. I did add a can of red kidney beans. I will make this again for sure!
Karly says
Glad the family enjoyed this one! 🙂
Tracy S says
This is amazing! The only thing different I do is I add 2 cans of green chilies and a regular chili packet and a tex mex chili packet. Everyone asks for the recipe! Delicious!
Octavia J. says
I just made this with Morningstar Farms crumbles(substituted it for ground beef) along with the additional seasonings that I normally put in my chili(which coincided greatly with the ingredients in the recipe) and it was a success!!! Thanks Karly!!
Heather C says
Is the chili sauce spicy? My kids do not like spicy so on a scale of mild, medium and HOT how would you rate it?
Karly says
It’s not spicy. Definitely mild. Like a much more seasoned ketchup. 🙂
Scottdirk says
Aloha. It’s wonderful. Only that I changed it to be more Hawaiian kine. Cut the chili sauce a bit, then added a bit more brown sugar, and used a bit more onion, and chopped tomatoes, and garlic powder. Ono, like I remember. Served over steamed rice. Mayo, crackers, sour dough bread to dip. Totally Enjoying. Mahalo for the memories.
Jen says
The questions marks should have been a smiley face from my iPhone……