Name: One Pot Chili Mac
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 lb Ground Meat (Ground Turkey or Ground Beef ); 2 boxes Mac and Cheese (I used Aldi Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese); 2 15.5 oz cans Mild Chili Beans (I used Aldi's brand ); 1 pkg Chili Seasoning; 4 cups Water

Chili mac is one of those go-to meals for me because it doesn’t take a ton of planning to put it together. Much like Hamburger Helper was to me as a kid – and young adult because let’s be real, I had no idea how to cook anything else – this is a solid replacement that fills that cheesy-one-pasta-need. This Easy One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese is cheesy, filling, easy, and cooks up in one pot.

woman holding white plate with chili mac on it

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If you’re looking for something just as easy as the box mixes from the store then this is your go to recipe.

This Easy One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese is simple, creamy, budget friendly, and your whole family will love it. You will have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes and everyone will have their tummies full. A one pot meal means less dishes – and y’all know how I feel about dishes.

This is one recipe that is sure to be a hit!

Why you’ll love Easy One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

So good – If you are feeling nostalgic and crave the boxed stuff from when you were a child, I promise this is such a better replacement (in my humble opinion).

Simple Ingredients – I love how easy it was to put together. Our favorite mac and cheese, a couple cans of beans, and a pound of meat made this meal so simple.

Budget Friendly – All of these ingredients are purchased at Aldi. This entire dinner costs about $10 to make and fed my family of five with leftovers.

Dinner Made Fast – If you bulk cook you meat, you will have dinner done in a flash. If not, just be sure to lay your meat out to thaw and you will still have dinner ready in about 30 minutes.

Supplies needed to make Easy One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

I love using my electric skillet for one pot dinners
Measuring cup to measure the water
A wooden spoon or spatula for stirring

Ingredients

Ground Meat – You could use either ground turkey or ground beef in this dish. I interchange both and both are delicious. Sometimes, it is whatever you have on hand!

Mac and Cheese – I love Aldi’s Gouda Mac and Cheese for this dish. It is just the right amount of cheesy and creamy for this dish!

Chili Beans – You will want two cans of mild chili beans for this chili mac. It adds additional chili flavors – and why not go for that additional flavor when you’re adding the beans anyway?

Chili Seasoning – One package will do! I always grab for mild but you could spice it up and grab a spicy chili seasoning packet!

The full recipe, along with the ingredients, can be found below.

How to make Easy One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

First, brown your ground meat in your skillet, ensuring it is cooked and crumbled completely. Once your meat has cooked, add your packet of chili seasoning and both cans of chili beans to your skillet.

ground meat with a packet of chili seasoning on top

Then, add your pasta from your mac and cheese boxes along with 4 cups of water, ensuring that your pasta is covered with the water. Put the lid on your skillet and allow it to gently boil until the pasta is completely cooked.

cook pasta with beans and meat with the mac and cheese sauce squeezed over it

Next, once your pasta is cooked, add the cheese packages to your and stir it into your pasta and chili mixture.

Finally, it is time to enjoy your meal. It was that easy!

Tips

You can use whatever your favorite mac and cheese is. I opted to purchase all of my ingredients from Aldi to make this super budget friendly and grabbed their mac and cheese boxes.
You can use any ground meat – beef, turkey, pork, or chicken. I love beef or turkey in this dish!
Chili beans are optional if your local Aldi doesn’t carry it or you just don’t like it. I think it adds so much flavor to the dish!

FAQs

The key ingredients are ground meat, boxed mac and cheese, chili beans, and a packet of chili seasoning.

Store your Easy One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Absolutely! I recommend using boxed mac and cheese that comes with the packages of creamy mac and cheese. Less ingredients and is so delicious!

Most ground meats would work really well in this dish. I have used both ground turkey and ground beef. Use whatever is available to you!

Recipe

One Pot Chili Mac

Much like Hamburger Helper was to me as a kid – and young adult because let’s be real, I had no idea how to cook anything else – this is a solid replacement that fills that cheesy-one-pasta-need. This Easy One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese is cheesy, filling, easy, and cooks up in one pot.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Meat Ground Turkey or Ground Beef
2 boxes Mac and Cheese I used Aldi Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
2 15.5 oz cans Mild Chili Beans I used Aldi's brand
1 pkg Chili Seasoning
4 cups Water

Instructions

First, brown your ground meat in your skillet, ensuring it is cooked and crumbled completely. Once your meat has cooked, add your packet of chili seasoning and both cans of chili beans to your skillet.
Then, add your pasta from your mac and cheese boxes along with 4 cups of water, ensuring that your pasta is covered with the water. Put the lid on your skillet and allow it to gently boil until the pasta is completely cooked.
Next, once your pasta is cooked, add the cheese packages to your and stir it into your pasta and chili mixture.
Finally, it is time to enjoy your meal. It was that easy!

Notes

Tips

You can use whatever your favorite mac and cheese is. I opted to purchase all of my ingredients from Aldi to make this super budget friendly and grabbed their mac and cheese boxes.