It’s been really cold here (well, cold for me) and that makes me want comfort food. One dish that I absolutely loved in the past but haven’t had a chance to remake is my One Pot Chili Pasta from the SNAP Challenge in 2014. That pasta not only saved my life as far as filling me up on an extremely restricted budget, but it was SO GOOD. I was really excited to make it again this week, but I had already spent a large part of this weeks budget on pork for my Nam Sod, so I decided to transform the old One Pot Chili Pasta into a new Vegetarian Chili Mac and Cheese.
No Beef, More Beans
The new vegetarian version is very similar to the old One Pot Chili Pasta, but it has no beef (obvi), more beans, some diced tomatoes, and uses vegetable broth in place of the beef broth. How did it turn out? OMG still so good. Like, so good that I’ve been eating it for breakfast all this week because I’m so excited to eat it every day that I can’t even wait for lunch. There’s something about the thick, tangy sauce with the smoky chili powder and just a hint of cheddar that is just irresistible to me.
Meal Prep the Leftovers
This recipe makes a huge batch, like around 10 cups. I suggest dividing the pasta up into single portions right after cooking so you have it meal prepped for the next 4-5 days. If you know you can’t finish it all within 5 days, it can be frozen. Pasta does get a bit softer upon freezing and thawing/reheating, but for me that’s negligible for a dish that tastes so freaking good.
Can I Make this Vegan?
Yes, since there is only one ingredient in this recipe that is animal-based, it will be really easy to swap that out and make this recipe vegan. To replace the cheddar cheese you can either use a vegan cheddar substitute, like Daiya Cheddar Shreds, or add some nutritional yeast for a slightly cheesy flavor (it won’t be creamy, but you’ll get that cheesy umami goodness).
One Pot Cheesy Vegetarian Chili Mac
Servings 8 1.25 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.31)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp flour ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp chili powder* ($0.60)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.79)
- 1 15oz. can tomato sauce ($0.88)
- 1 15oz. can kidney beans ($0.89)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($1.15)
- 1 15oz. can pinto beans ($1.49)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.44)
- 2 cups vegetable broth ($0.26)
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles ($0.50)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar ($1.25)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in the bottom of a large pot (5 qt) over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
- Add the flour and chili powder to the sautéed onions and garlic. Continue to stir and sauté for about two minutes, or just until the flour and chili powder begin to coat the bottom of the pot.
- Drain and rinse the kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, all three beans, corn, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to combine and to dissolve any flour and chili powder off the bottom of the pot.
- Add the uncooked macaroni noodles and stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium high, and let the pot come up to a boil. Stir every other minute or so to loosen the noodles from the bottom of the pot as it heats up.
- When the pot reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, or just above low, so it continues to gently simmer. Let the pot gently simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the liquid is thick and saucy. Stir frequently as it simmers to make sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Once the pasta is tender, add the shredded cheddar and stir it in until melted. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!More Mac and Cheese Recipes:
- Miracle Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Pesto Mac with Spinach
- Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese
- White Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli
- Green Chile Mac and Cheese
How to Make Vegetarian Chili Mac and Cheese – Step by Step Photos
Begin by dicing one yellow onion and mincing two cloves of garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about 3 minutes). Make sure you’re using about a 5 qt pot because this makes a large batch.
Add 2 Tbsp chili powder and 2 Tbsp flour. This is a mild chili powder, which is a blend of mild red chiles and other spices. Some brands may have some cayenne pepper (spicy) in the blend, so just be aware of what type you have and how much you’re adding. I use McCormick, which is 100% mild. If you have a mild chili powder and WANT spicy, you can add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper.
Continue to stir and sauté the flour and chili powder with the onions and garlic for about two minutes more, or until it begins to coat the bottom of the pot. This toasts the spices and flour and creates a roux, which helps thicken the sauce later.
Add one 15oz can diced tomatoes (not drained), one 15oz can each of kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans (all drained and rinsed), and one cup of frozen corn kernels.
Also add one 15oz can tomato sauce and two cups vegetable broth. Stir everything to combine and to dissolve any flour and chili powder that have stuck to the bottom of the pot (you should be able to feel when the bottom of the pot is smooth).
Finally, add 2 cups (or about 1/2 lb.) uncooked macaroni noodles and stir to combine with the rest of the ingredients. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium high, and let the pot come to a boil. Stir every couple of minutes while it’s heating to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom.
Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the liquid is thick and saucy. Make sure to keep stirring every couple of minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking while it is simmering.
The chili mac is pretty good at this stage, but it’s about to go to the next level…
Add one cup of shredded sharp cheddar. It’s important to use cheddar because cheddar melts into sauces very smoothly and does not get stringy the way other cheese, like mozzarella, would. It’s also important to get “sharp” cheddar because it’s tangier and more potent than mild or medium cheddar, which means you can use less and still get a good cheesy flavor in the whole pot.
When the cheddar stirs in it will melt into the thick sauce and turn it all creamy and delicious.
This stuff is serious business.
I can not say no to the Cheesy Vegetarian Chili Mac!
Can you??
Oh wow. This is so good! Thank you for another great vegetarian recipe!!
How would you recommend adapting this for the instant pot Beth?
Unfortunately I don’t do a lot of cooking in my IP (I use it mostly for cooking dry beans or “slow cooked” meats), so I don’t know the best method for converting this dish to the Instant Pot.
I just wanted to say I make this meal semi-frequently and it is one of my favorite recipes. Very inexpensive, very customizable, easy to upgrade with a few changes, and (best of all!) creates very few dirty dishes. As someone making it for one person, the fact that it stays delicious in the fridge for a long time is a definitely plus. I appreciate that it’s all made of ingredients that keep very well, in case plans change and I can’t get it made on the day I originally plan, saving even more money by not wasting ingredients.
The two main modifications I make are to swap in whole wheat pasta (usually penne) and change out the regular diced tomatoes for fire roasted. It’s a cheap way to pack in some extra flavor and nutrition.
I love swapping fire roasted tomatoes too! Adds just a little bit of extra.
I have made this several times now and it never gets old. I usually add a little more veggie broth than suggested but that’s just my preference. This is my favorite meal!
This is one of my favourite meal prep recipes. Makes lunches for the week, plus dinner on Saturday or Sunday night. I made it with a little bit of hickory bbq sauce this time around and it just added a little extra oomph to it. So good! Thank you for creating and sharing so many awesome recipes – I’ve loved everything I’ve tried :)
Has anyone figured out the calories per serving on this recipe?
Yes, it makes 8 servings at 11.5 oz each or 1.25 measured cups. Breakdown is :
1 serving:
361 calories
Total fat 6.8 grams
Sat fat 2.7 grams
Cholesterol 15.2 mg
Sodium 820.5 mg
Total carbs 61.8 grams
Fiber 11.6 grams
Sugars 9.6 grams
Protein 18.3 grams
Excellent! Used a mix of chilli flakes and fajita seasoning (it’s all I had in the cupboard) and it’s very tasty. Thank you – I am really enjoying this website!
Is this for high protein diets?
This recipe is not specifically designed for high protein diets.
Beth – This was sooooo good! Absolutely perfect for our Meatless Monday Menu. I added a bit of salt and a couple dashes hot red pepper sauce but otherwise followed the recipe. All of my family raved over it. Thank you for another vegetarian dish to add to our repertoire.
this was soooo good!! although, i added two teaspoons of salt, an extra clove of garlic, green chiles, a table spoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of onion powder, 3 more cups of cheese, and 1 more cup of corn. Other than that, this recipe is totally amazing and very easy to make. just make sure when it’s boiling to stir it often, stuff gets stuck to the bottom easy.
This is amazing!!! I added some cumin, pepper, salt and cayenne pepper and it came out perfect. Great meal for a 4 member family.
This is delicious! But, I added an extra clove of garlic, a diced roasted poblano pepper and a 1 Tbsp of Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning and a ton of black pepper. I also used juice of half a lime at the end for some much needed acid. I top it with cilantro and some pepitas. I make this all the time and give my neighbors the leftovers as it does make a huge batch. Yum!
How would I adapt this recipe for the Instant Pot?
Unfortunately I’ve never tried this one in an IP so I don’t have instructions. It would probably take some testing to find the best method.
Really not that great… followed it exactly as it says. Very plain. It definitely needs cumin, more garlic, maybe chiles, peppers, more seasoning, cilantro, etc. I’m shocked it has as many 5 star reviews as it does. Very misleading.
Good to know! This is on my list for this month’s meal prep. I’ll make sure to pick up some fresh jalapeno and cilantro to go along with some extra garlic and spice.
It’s definitely not misleading, other people have different tastes.
I made this last night but added soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo) in place of one of the cans of beans. I added it to the onions and garlic after the latter had cooked for about 7-10 minutes. It was exactly what I wanted – cheap, filling, and really cured my need of comfort food!
Absolutely delicious, so easy and my kids ate every bite! What more could you ask for! Thank you for always having amazing recipes!