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.
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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??
I made this tonight for my family. I’ve been incorporating more vegetarian dishes into our meals and I must say that the guys didn’t even notice that it didn’t have meat in it. This one’s a winner. I consider myself a good cook but your blog has really helped me get out of my rut with quick, tasty and economical meals. Thank you.
I have macaroni that doesn’t need to boil or be drained in my pantry–would using that affect this recipe?
It might, but I’ve never used that type of pasta so I’m not sure. It might require a different liquid to pasta ratio or a different cooking time.
I ended up not wanting to experiment that night and bought “normal” macaroni. This recipe was a huge hit with my family and even my bean-averse toddler ate it all!
I subbed the tomato cans for a single 28 oz whole tomatoes which I hand crushed separately (I like the whole tomatoes’ quality better). Also I used 1 tbsp of chili powder and 1 tbsp of cumin instead of 2 tbsp chili. Also, I had a 15 oz can of corn and no third can of beans so I used that instead of the kidney beans. Came out really good!
I’m eating this right now and it’s excellent! Even though I’m a huge dummy and accidentally picked up 2 cans of tomato sauce instead of 1 sauce and 1 diced (I SWEAR it said diced!), it still turned out delicious! This one is a keeper for sure.
Hahah, don’t you hate it when labels change after you get home?? That happens to me all the time! :P
I also hate when i swear i got 4 cans at the store and when you come home it turns into 3.
I’m eating this right now and reading your comment reminded me that I apparently forgot to add the tomato sauce. I only put in one can of diced tomatoes. It still turned out well! :)
So easy and delicious! Another winner!!
This looks great! I may have to make it tonight. Although I’ll be using colby jack cheese since that’s what I have (and frankly, the little kid in me still loves it when cheese is stringy)
Wow, good looking chili. I’ll try it your way but can’t help to think how some bacon or steak chunks would be awesome in it too.
I can’t use the DAIYA cheese. Anything yeast based I can not have due to a severe yeast allergy (affects my breathing). Does anyone have any suggestions for a cheese replacement or could it be left out all together?
You can definitely leave it out all together, the sauce will still be pretty thick and nice without cheese thanks to the flour. I would recommend adding some extra seasoning like smoked paprika to kick up the flavor and make you forget all about the cheese.
I made this last night and it’s delicious! I used dried beans and saved even more money!
Like a thousand comments before me – I just LOVE your site and all your (vegetarian) recipes. Whenever someone compliments a meal I’ve made, I direct them to your site :)
I have a billion bags of pasta at home to use up, but no macaroni – do you think a rotini or penne would be okay?
Thanks!
I think rotini would work very well.
This goes perfectly with the Pulses Pledge!
I just found your website last night and couldn’t wait to make this even though it’s the middle of summer here in Australia! So amazingly yummy! Can’t wait to make more of your recipes. Thanks!
Hi Beth!
Do you add the tomatoes WITH the juice or drain them? You don’t say in the post only to drain and rinse the beans. I have made tons of your recipes! Thanks for the dinner time dilemma of “what’s for dinner?!?” So much easier :)
With the juice. :)
Love this recipe besides the kidney beans! Very popular at my house.
I just made a vegan version of this with Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds. I only used about 1/3 cup because a little Daiya goes a long way. I also added some nutritional yeast, about 2 tablespoons.
This is SUPER delicious and feels very indulgent. I almost feel like I need to eat a salad after I eat this because it’s so rich and satisfying.
I’m glad it works with daiya, I was just wondering!