Looking for a simple, delicious meal the entire family will scarf down in minutes, begging for more? This Slow Cooker Chili Mac Recipe is easy, make-ahead, and super good. It’s good old fashioned comfort food that gives you the night off cooking since the Crock-pot does most of the work.
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Easy meals that please even picky eaters? How about one that practically cooks itself on busy weeknights? I’m game. Aren’t you?
This Crock Pot Chili Mac recipe is one of those easy dinner recipes that tick all the boxes. It’s easy to make, delicious, and you can make it in the slow cooker!
In this rendition of the classic chili mac recipe, I prepare the meat and bean chili in the slow cooker, stir in the noodles at serving, and let diners add however much or little cheese they want at the end.
It’s like the best of all worlds: ease of preparation, not-soggy noodles, and all the cheese you want!
Plus it pleases the picky eaters to have things separate if needs must.
Why Make My Chili Mac Recipe
4x cookbook author and 6x mom, I kinda pride myself on making food that everyone can enjoy. This chili mac is no exception! Here’s why I think you should give it a try.
It’s easy. With just a handful of mostly pantry ingredients, you cook a delicious chili in the crockpot and stir in cooked noodles at the end. This is a great pantry meal to make all year long.
It’s delicious. The savory gravy seasoned with spices perfectly complements the beans, meat, and macaroni. Topping with cheese is the chef’s kiss.
It’s make-ahead. This crockpot chili mac recipe can be prepped in the morning and served in the evening. But leftovers are delicious and you can even make it all as a lunchtime meal prep that can be frozen or stored in the fridge. It makes a great freezer meal for work lunches.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy slow cooker chili mac:
lean ground beef or ground turkey – You can actually use whatever ground meat you prefer; ground chicken, pork, or a plant-based grind all work here. You can even use my Versatile Meat Mixture if you’ve got that stashed in the freezer.
spices – you’ll need salt and black pepper as well as onion powder, chile powder, garlic powder, and ground cumin. For an easy shortcut, you can use my easy Chili Seasoning Mix. Spice things up even more with some red pepper flakes.
pinto beans – Canned pintos are cheap and easy to find, but you can also use standard chili beans, black beans, or red kidney beans. Whatever style can of beans you use, be sure to rinse and drain it well. You can also cook dried beans ahead of time to save more money.
tomatoes – I use diced tomatoes as well as tomato sauce to make a savory gravy for the macaroni and meat. If you’re short on either, you can use a can of tomato paste diluted with two cans of water.
chicken broth – You can use commercial broth or make homemade chicken stock that takes this to the next level. In a pinch you can use beef stock or vegetable broth.
chopped green chiles – These chiles add a bit of a kick to this easy one pot recipe. However, you can use chopped bell peppers if you’d like a milder flavor or chopped jalapeños if you want something spicier.
elbow macaroni – Macaroni pasta is what goes in traditional chili mac, but there’s no reason you can’t use another shape of dry pasta, like shells, cavatappi, or orechiette.
shredded cheddar cheese – Cheddar is super tasty, but you can also use Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese if you prefer. Remember you can freeze cheese you won’t use right away.
additional toppings – I like topping this simply with cheese and fresh cilantro. However, other great toppings include a dollop of sour cream or chopped green onions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
It’s super simple to make a crockpot chili mac the whole family will love!
In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground beef. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer the meat to the crock of the slow cooker.
Add the beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato sauce, green chiles, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Stir well to combine. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours, or on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
At some point before serving, cook the macaroni to al dente, according to package directions. Rinse and drain. Chill if making several hours in advance.
At serving time, stir in the macaroni and serve with shredded cheese and chopped cilantro.
Note: You might be tempted to add the noodles at the beginning of cooking. I choose not to risk the sogginess or the gumminess.
Instead, in the morning while you’re browning the meat for the chili, boil the macaroni noodles al dente in another pot. Rinse and drain the macaroni and chill it in the fridge while the chili cooks all day. You can also do this the night before.
Adding the cold noodles to the pot just a few minutes before serving allows you to have perfectly cooked noodles without the mush.
You can also cook the noodles at serving time and simply serve them together. Some folks prefer to have their chili atop the mac not mixed together.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve chili mac on its own with some fun toppings or with an easy vegetable tray or green salad on the side. It’s pretty hearty on its own, so you may want a side of veg.
To Make a Meal Prep: This recipe makes for easy lunches during the week. Prep the recipe as directed, allow the steam to blow off. Divide the chili mac among six containers with lids. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Consume within 4 days.
Freeze Extra for Later: The dish may be frozen; just be sure not to overcook the noodles. Simply chill completely in the fridge and store covered in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator prior to reheating.
Make a Plan for Leftovers: Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. Reheat leftover chili mac in the microwave or for best texture, the air fryer. If you store your leftovers in clear containers, they’re more likely to get eaten.
Recipe Tips
- Shop your kitchen! There are so many different subs you can consider based on what you have. Use whatever small noodles you have on hand. It doesn’t have to be macaroni. Swap in all kinds of beans in combination or on their own. Top it with your favorite toppings or try some new ones you’ve never tried, like chopped pickles or black olives.
- This is a great recipe for using leftover pasta. Since uncooked pasta can get gummy in the slow cooker, I prefer to stir it in near the end of cooking. If you cook extra pasta earlier in the week, this is a great recipe for using it up.
- Be inspired to use leftovers creatively! If you’ve got leftover chili, you can cook up some noodles and combine them that way. Chili mac is delicious and can be made lots of different ways.
More Great Crock-pot Recipes
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Slow Cooker Chili Mac Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb ground beef or turkey
- salt
- black pepper
- 3 15-ounce can pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 cup chicken stock
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 4-ounce can green chiles (chopped)
- ¼ cup chile powder or ground chile
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 12 oz elbow macaroni
- 4 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) for serving (1 cup)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped) for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground beef. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer the meat to the crock of the slow cooker.1 ½ lb ground beef, salt, black pepper
- Add the beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato sauce, green chiles, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Stir well to combine. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours, or on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.3 15-ounce can pinto beans, 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, 2 cup chicken stock, 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce, 1 4-ounce can green chiles (chopped), ¼ cup chile powder or ground chile, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- At some point before serving, cook the macaroni to al dente, according to package directions. Rinse and drain. Chill if making several hours in advance.12 oz elbow macaroni
- At serving time, stir in the macaroni and serve with shredded cheese and chopped cilantro.4 oz cheddar cheese (shredded), ¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
Notes
- Shop your kitchen. There are so many different subs you can consider based on what you have. Use whatever small noodles you have on hand. It doesn’t have to be macaroni. Swap in all kinds of beans in combination or on their own. Top it with your favorite toppings or try some new ones you’ve never tried, like chopped pickles or black olives.
- This is a great recipe for using leftover pasta. Since uncooked pasta can get gummy in the slow cooker, I prefer to stir it in near the end of cooking. If you cook extra pasta earlier in the week, this is a great recipe for using it up.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on September 20, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Amber B.
I made this for the first time this week and it will definitely be on a monthly repeat. It makes a large slow cooker full – enough to feed a large crowd or have left overs. I had 2 lbs of ground beef to thaw and having the extra beef worked just fine. Served with lots of shredded cheese. Such a yummy comfort food!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! Glad to hear it was a success. It is comfort food, indeed. Thanks for leaving a review, Amber!
Lindee
Made it the other night, and it was a hit with the family. Even my picky kiddo loved it. Used ground turkey, chicken broth. The only substitutions I made; used fresh diced tomatoes and (cooked) dry beans as that’s what I had on hand. It made great leftovers the next day too! Thank you!
Also, used your guide for prepping dry beans to freeze recently. It was so helpful, we always end up buying canned when I forget to soak, now we have a ready supply in the freezer! Thank you so much for your easy, realistic recipes and helps!
Adrienne
We loved this! I used some browned ground beef I’d saved in my freezer earlier this month and it made this super fast to fix!
Marilyn
Everything that is cooked in a slow cooker can be made on the stove but can everything on the stove be made in the slow cooker?
Jessica Fisher
It really depends on what it is. Sauteed vegetables will be soggy and mushy in a slow cooker. Other items like chili, stew, or soup are often adaptable to slow cooking. Did you have any specific recipes in mind?
Correen
I am so doing this for an easy late night Christmas get together….thank you for the recipe inspiration!
Karen J
We get to eat this in about half an hour. The husband forgot to plug in the crockpot so I am making it on the stove top. It smells delicious! I subbed Mexican chili powder and pintos with chipotle as it was what I had. I have tons of shredded cheese ready to top it with because everything is better with tons of cheese. I’m thinking a bit of sour cream too.
Jessica Fisher
The food didn’t sit out all day, right?
Karen J
Oh No, his job was to take it out of the refrigerator and plug it in. It turned out fine cooking it on the stove top.