Cheesy, hearty, and comforting, this Crockpot Chili Mac hits all the right spots and is the ultimate easy winter dinner that sticks-to-your-ribs. It’s the perfect combination of a hearty bowl of chili and some cheesy, carb-y pasta! Best of all, it takes just about 15 minutes of prep time to put it together.
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On cold winter nights when I don’t feel like spending too long in the kitchen, I almost always turn to my favorite comfort meals. Casseroles are the most obvious, and I’m absolutely obsessed with my cream of mushroom soup chicken casserole and my old fashioned chicken and rice casserole.
And for days when I’m craving for something cheesy, I end up making some mac and cheese with bacon. This mashup of chili and mac and cheese has to be one of my absolute hits!
Why You’ll Love This Crockpot Chili Mac Recipe
- Comfort food: The dish combines the best of two classic comfort foods in a single bowl. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
- Easy to make: It’s super easy to make, and great if you don’t want a kitchen full of dishes to clean.
- Family friendly: This chili macaroni recipe is perfect for families with small kids. The simple, customizable flavors make it a total win.
Ingredients
- Ground meat: Any kind of lean ground meat works well. Ground beef, turkey, chicken and even pork are all great options. You can use ground sausage too, if that’s what you have at hand.
- Beans: Red kidney beans and chickpeas work best for this recipe. Just remember to drain them before you use them. Though pinto beans and black beans are great with the chili flavors too.
- Veggies: I used a mix of aromatics, including garlic, onions, and celery, and a can of corn for its sweetness. And, of course, some canned tomatoes to make up the bulk of the sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce: To bring that incredible umami flavor to the dish.
- Tomato paste: To add to the flavor and color.
- Pasta: Use any cooked pasta of your choice but macaroni is a classic.
- Seasonings: To season, I used some pepper, chili powder, brown sugar, thyme, and salt. You can adjust these to your liking.
- Cheese: I used shredded cheddar cheese here, because that’s what I had, and honestly, its flavors work perfectly with this recipe.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Topping fun: Try different toppings like sour cream, sliced avocados, crushed tortilla chips, chopped cilantro and green onions to jazz up the dish.
- Vegetarian: You can also make a vegetarian version of this recipe by using a plant-based protein like crumbled tempeh instead of the ground meat or simply add extra beans.
- Spice it up: To bump up the heat in the slow cooker chili mac, add some hot sauce or half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- Load it up: You can also add other veggies like bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and carrots. This is a great way to bulk up the dish and make it more nutritious.
How to Make Crockpot Chili Mac
To make the slow cooker chili mac and cheese, start by turning up your slow cooker to high and greasing it with a bit of cooking spray.
Step 1: Add to the crockpot. Add the crumbled ground beef, seasonings and spices, and the canned tomatoes to the bottom of your slow cooker.
Step 2: Prepare veggie mixture. Combine the canned beans, corn, onions, celery, garlic, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and thyme in a large bowl. Pour this mixture over the other ingredients in the slow cooker.
Step 3: Combine and cook. Cover the with the lid and cook on low for 7-8 hours. When it's ready, stir to mix, and top with shredded cheese.
Step 4: Finish up. Stir in your cooked and drained pasta. Turn off the heat, serve with your choice of toppings.
If you love easy ground beef recipes like this one, you may also enjoy this taco hashbrown casserole.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Store your leftover Crockpot chili mac and cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make sure it has cooled down completely, and it should stay good for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: You can batch make and freeze it too! For best results, store the cooked pasta and the chili mixture in separate containers.
- Reheating: You can reheat it in the microwave, pausing every 30 seconds or so and stirring it to get it warmed up evenly, or in a pan over medium heat. If you’re reheating frozen chili mac, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat it as you would.
Serving Suggestions
Just like I do with my bowl of chili, I like to serve this dish with some homemade cornbread or some broccoli and cheese cornbread when I have a few minutes and some extra broccoli.
You can, of course, enjoy it on its own too. It’s hearty and filling and you don’t really need anything to pair it with. If you really want to, you can also whip up a quick veggie side dish like smashed red potatoes, broiled asparagus, or even just a simple salad.
Recipe Tips
- Don't overcook the pasta. This may cause it to end up too mushy when combined with the chili mixture. Leave the pasta a teeny bit undercooked, then add it to the Crockpot, and let it cook in there with the chili.
- Shred from the block: While pre-shredded cheese is super convenient, I highly recommend shredding the cheese from a block to get the best flavor.
- Ground meat: If you use a less lean (fattier) type of ground meat such as pork or sausage, I recommend browning it ahead of time so you can drain off the excess fat.
Video
More Delicious Crockpot Recipes
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Slow Cooker Cheesy Chili Mac
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef pork, sausage, turkey, or chicken
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 1 28-ounce can canned diced tomatoes with liquid
- 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 15-ounce can corn rinsed and drained
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or cayenne
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons chili powder to taste
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups cooked pasta of your choice
- 2 cups cheddar shredded
- cooking spray
Toppings
- hot sauce
- thinly sliced green onion
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
Instructions
- Turn slow cooker up to high and coat with cooking spray.
- Crumble your ground meat all over the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle your dry seasonings evenly over the top of the crumbled ground meat.
- Pour in the canned tomatoes over top of the seasoning.
- Add onions, celery, garlic, kidney beans, corn, chick peas, thyme, salt, pepper, chili powder, thyme, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce to a large bowl and combine well. Pour this mixture over your ground meat and seasonings.
- Cover and turn slow cooker down to low for 7-8 hours.
- Remove lid and stir chili well with a wooden spoon. Add the 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese and stir until well melted and creamy.
- Boil water and make pasta according to package directions. Rinse and drain.
- Make pasta according to package directions. Ideally, mix with chili as you are serving.
- Serve with green onions, shredded cheese and sour cream if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Don't overcook the pasta. This may cause it to end up too mushy when combined with the chili mixture. Leave the pasta a teeny bit undercooked, then add it to the Crockpot, and let it cook in there with the chili.
- Shred from the block: While pre-shredded cheese is super convenient, I highly recommend shredding the cheese from a block to get the best flavor.
- Ground meat: If you use a less lean (fattier) type of ground meat such as pork or sausage, I recommend browning it ahead of time so you can drain off the excess fat.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in April 2016. It's been updated with new content, images, and an updated recipe.
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