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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.
Jen says
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 diner ever.” Hey six year olds don’t lie!! I will for sure cut the recipe in half for only two people or maybe I’ll try freezing some and see how it turns out! Thanks for a delicious and EASY/QUICK meal ????
Karly says
Glad to hear you and the kiddo enjoyed it! 🙂 I think this would probably freeze really well, so maybe give that a shot!
Michelle says
I replace ground beef with ground turkey in my recipes and it is sold in 1# packages. I’m wondering if I should just do 2# of meat and leave everything the same or 1# of meat and cut back to 1 seasoning packet. Any thoughts?
Karly says
You can do either. It shouldn’t matter too much. Alternately, buy 2 pounds and save a 1/2 pound for another use. 🙂
Darlene says
You heard correctly. Skyline Chili makes their chili mac with spaghetti noodles. Their chili is pretty good; it must be the cinnamon they put in it.
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Now I want chili mac. This looks so cheesy. Who cares if it’s hot. Pinned.
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
Okay I will have to admit it is sunny and warm here and chili anything is not on my radar screen. But last week it was raining and grey, so it would have been perfect. Albeit having said that—-anytime is pasta time!
marcie says
In my opinion, it’s never too hot for chili! This sounds so good, and I hope you’re having a wonderful time at the beach!
Katie says
This looks freakin fantastic 🙂 and I totally agree, who cares what time of year it is, that’s what air conditioning is for!! I’m gonna crank down the AC put on my favorite sweats and dig in. I have a feeling the hubby will love this too!
Kathy says
We eat things like this, year round! My kids would love it! And I absolutely love Steak N Shake and Skyline. Sadly, we don’t live in Cincinnati anymore to get those though! But I am thinking how good this chili mac would be with the Skyline meat sauce! I might just have to try making it at home.
Matt Robinson says
Killin’ me with this Karly! I don’t care if it’s May, this is getting made here!
Carla says
At my ripe old age and having cooked for over 60 years, I love easy recipes. I made some chili mac the really lazy way. My husband is gluten intolerant and has been for twelve years. Gluten-Free cooking is not difficult as there are so many GF options available.
I made a batch of GF Mac and Cheese, it is a mix and can be found at Aldi’s and other supermarkets, then I take a can of Brookdale Chili with beans, (the brand sold at Aldi’s) the all-meat chili contained wheat, I heat that in a pan on my stove or you can heat it in the microwave, it is your choice. Then I combine the two. Easy Chili-Mac and there is enough for two meals for us. I serve it with a salad.
If you do not have to eat GF, any canned chili or mac and cheese mix will do.
shelly (cookies and cups) says
Ok, chili sauce? I didn’t even know that was a THING?! My kids will love this!
Paula Atkinson says
You can find chili sauce on the aisle w/ the condiments. It’s usually near the cocktail sauce, tarter sauce, things like that, on the top shelf. It looks a lot like cocktail sauce, actually, but will say Chili Sauce on it! I use it to make sloppy joes!
Stephanie says
This is dinner!!! Thanks for a great recipe. I love using “help” too.
Rachel Cooks says
Love this! Total comfort food.
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
Haha @ bad food blogger! I definitely use some seasoning packets…sometimes you just don’t mess with those things! I can’t wait to try this! I’ve never had steak ‘n shake, but there is a million here in FL! Now I’ll have to give them a go! Pinned!
Emma says
Karly I love this!
We are jet heading into winter here in Australia and this will be perfect! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Enjoy your vaycay
Chloe @ foodlikecake says
That looks so good!! I love chili and this…YUM 🙂