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Chili Mac

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Old school never goes out of style

Raise your hand if Chili Mac (or chili macaroni to be exact) was one of your childhood favorites. When I was a kid, my Mom could’ve made anything with any kind of pasta and I would’ve been happy. We ate chili a lot as kids. It is budget friendly and you can make a lot for a crowd without going broke. And any leftovers are fantastic for work lunches the next day. So when you add another cheap ingredient like macaroni then you have a meal that is not only affordable but very filling and kid-friendly as well.
Chili Macaroni

My family is weird

My six year old absolutely adores this meal. He loves to eat chili with ham sandwiches. He and my husband also love to dip their ham sandwiches into chili. Do any of you do this? It’s not my favorite combo, but they love it. And they have the nerve to look at me funny when I dip my cornbread into my chili. This is what happens when you are raised in the south and you marry a man from northern Indiana. You are bound to give each other funny looks across the dinner table every now and again. Anyhow, back to the Chili Mac. If you haven’t made this in a while. Give it a go again. Remember your childhood and enjoy a warm and filling meal. Perfect for those cool days ahead!
Chili Macaroni
 Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked macaroni
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (for topping)
Chili MacaroniDirections:

Boil and cook macaroni until tender. While macaroni is cooking, cook ground beef along with onion. Stir and cook until beef is browned and onion is soft. Add in garlic during last couple of minutes of cooking (so it doesn’t burn.) Drain excess grease from beef and put back into pot. Add remaining ingredients (minus the cheese) into beef mixture.Chili MacaroniNow, how much chili powder you put in is to taste. We like 1 1/2 tbsp, but if you want, start with a tablespoon, give it a taste, and then go up from there with what you enjoy. After macaroni is cooked, drain and add to the pot. Heat to boiling, stir occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer covered for about 15-20 minutes.

Chili Macaroni

Make sure to give it a taste test at this point. I usually find I need to season with a bit of salt. Then serve and sprinkle each serving with shredded cheese.Chili Macaroni

  Enjoy!
Chili Macaroni

Chili Mac

Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 371kcal
Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked macaroni
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 15 oz can kidney beans drained
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes undrained
  • 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Instructions

  • Boil and cook macaroni until tender.
  • While macaroni is cooking, cook ground beef along with onion.
  • Stir and cook until beef is browned and onion is soft.
  • Add in garlic during last couple of minutes of cooking (so it doesn't burn).
  • Drain excess grease from beef and put back into pot
  • After macaroni is cooked, drain.
  • Stir macaroni and remaining ingredients (minus the cheese) into beef mixture.
  • Heat to boiling, stir occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer covered for about 15-20 minutes.
  • Make sure to give it a taste test at this point. I usually find I need to season with a bit of salt.
  • Then serve and sprinkle each serving with shredded cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 428mg | Potassium: 614mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 24.3% | Vitamin C: 9.5% | Calcium: 17.6% | Iron: 17.6%
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carrie Wells says

    October 10, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    With all the new fancy recipe I forget about the old classic. This is a one of our favorite's! Thanks for the reminder!

    Carrie

    Reply

  2. Anonymous says

    October 10, 2012 at 7:54 pm

    I have heard this called something different depending on where I was living. We called it Johnny Marzetti in grade school and my married family called it goulash. I think it is great no matter what it is called so just don't call me late to supper.

    Reply

  3. Tania Petry says

    October 10, 2012 at 9:01 pm

    When my kids were still at home, I sometimes made this with leftover chili, and sometimes with leftover spaghetti sauce. Both are delish. Makes me almost wish my kids were still younger and living at home! Maybe I will make this as a side dish when they are ALL home for Thanksgiving. Or maybe for my church group luncheon next week. Or maybe just for myself. LOL!

    Reply

  4. jean anne says

    October 10, 2012 at 11:25 pm

    Love this stuff, but you made me laugh about the dipping ham sands in chili, we dip grilled cheese sands in chili and my BFF from Dayton,Ohio, dips peanut butter sands in hers, btw, I'm from Tennessee and would have never thought of dipping ham sand….<3 your page…

    Reply

  7. The Better Baker says

    October 11, 2012 at 2:58 am

    Looks terrific – I think we called this dish goulash when I was a kid…I say call it anything you want, as long as you don't forget to call me for dinner. =) MMMM good!

    Reply

  8. The Country Cook says

    October 11, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    I'm glad this brought back some happy memories for some y'all. It is always so fun for me to see how people connect with a certain recipe. thank you so much for all the sweet comments!! ~Brandie

    Reply

  11. Kari Lindsay says

    October 13, 2012 at 12:58 am

    I totally grew up on Mac and cheese casserole.
    My mom would through all kinds of things in to the pot, and we always loved it!

    Reply

  13. Anonymous says

    April 19, 2013 at 6:03 pm

    There are so many recipes you have that I really want to try and this one was the first, making me a believer that every recipe you post will be delicious!!! It was so yummy! My husband loved it! I used a package of chili spices instead of the chili powder and cumin. I also added some Velveeta cheese for a cheesy chili mac! Will definitely be making this again! Love your website!!!

    Reply

  15. Sandra Morrissey says

    September 1, 2013 at 3:59 pm

    I grew up in Northern Indiana, South Bend to be exact. My dad used to make this for 7 of us kids that he was raising on his own. I thought it was just a way to get an extra meal out of the chili we had the day before. I still make this when we have left over chili I add the cooked noodles. Thank you Brandi for reminding me about a childhood favorite!

    Reply

  16. Voe says

    September 9, 2013 at 12:54 am

    Thank you! I'm salivating, just thinking about this recipe. So many memories rushing through my head! My kids and grands grew up eating this food…more times than I can count. :=) Looking forward to cool weather returning to AZ!! Hungry for "Slow Cooker Chili", too. God bless you for sharing your wonderful recipes!!

    Reply

  20. Anonymous says

    October 9, 2015 at 3:14 am

    I am from Indiana also. Instead of ham ( we didn't get that very often ) we used peanut butter sandwiches . We would dip the sandwich in the chili. Try it next time you make chili. Grandmas would give us some home canned dill pickle slices on the side. Strange combo but it works.

    Reply

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