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??
Delicious but man, you weren’t kidding when you said it was high yield.
Wow -was really impressed with this one! The list of ingredients seemed simple. I expected it to be good, but it was better than good! I made a batch with the shredded cheddar and then made a second batch where I substituted a cup of vegan sour cream for the cheese (vegan friend coming over for dinner). Both versions were delicious. Thanks for another easy but awesome recipe!
Quick, easy, affordable, delicious and made a ton of food. Next time I make it, I want to add fresh avocado on top.
Omg… I must say, WOW! I wanted to take a moment between fork fulls of this delicious chili mac to thank the chef! I’ve tried a few of your other recipes but so far this is my fave. Thank you! So much food, so good, and so much bang for your buck!! Spent about $7 today on this dish which should last a while!
I’m going to go crazy here and say I want to add some frozen brussel sprouts to the mix.. at what point should I add them – same time as the frozen corn?!
I think I’d add them closer to the end, just because they tend to get mushier than corn does. Corn can hold its shape for quite some time during cooking, whereas Brussels sprouts tend to break down.
Woah, had the same question! Thanks to you and Beth :D
For a protein-packed, gluten-free version, you can substitute the flour with protein powder and just use gluten free noodles. Yummy.
Made this yesterday! It was super quick to put together and absolutely delicious. I did cook the pasta separately so that I could let it simmer for a couple of hours and subbed chickpeas for the pinto beans because I didn’t have any. It’s going on our regular roster for sure!
We just finished eating it for dinner. It’s a keeper. I served it with a little Texas Pete Hot sauce and Fritos corn chips on the side! So good!
The veg chili recipe was surprisingly good…. I mean, really really good! So quick, simple and tasty. I bet it episode freeze well too. Just absolutely perfect comfort food! I added sliced avocado on top for added vegetable / healthy fats . This recipe is a winner!! And you are absolutely right about needing to use sharp aged cheddar – yum.
It’s -7 where I stay and I really want to make this… But can I use one kind of beans instead of three. I’d love to add more veggies since I have kids to feed. Any suggestions.
Yes, you can definitely just use one type of bean if you prefer (I just like the colors of the trio). You could maybe add some bell peppers or zucchini to it.
This was delicious! I added half a can of leftover chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (needed to be used up) to the onions at the beginning – we loved the added heat! I also needed an extra cup of broth for the macaroni to cook. I don’t know if it was because of the whole wheat noodles (365 brand from WF – 10% off through the weekend!!). Thanks for the awesome recipes :).
We made this on Friday night, the family absolutely loved it! We were really excited to see this recipe because we hike alot and we can never find one of those dehydrated vegetarian chili mac, only the kind with meat in it. So, we made an extra batch, threw some in the dehydrator and dehydrated it! We tested it out last night by simply adding some hot water to it (like we would on the trails) and it worked! Just as delicious as if we cooked it right then and there!
Thanks for posting such an awesome recipe!
Wow, that’s so cool!
This is absolutely fantastic. Cheesy comfort food on a Minnesota day with sub-zero high temps. I had not quite two cups of whole wheat elbow noodles, so I used those and tossed in a little extra corn. I also had some salsa I wanted to use up. I pureed that and used 15 oz of the puree in place of the tomato sauce. It added a nice zip. This is REALLY good stuff! It makes a lot. I already froze 3 portions, and have the rest in the fridge for lunches this week. Thanks for the great recipes – I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve prepared from your Web site!
I wanted to make this recipe when I first read it but waited for the predicted cold snap. It is currently 7 degrees outside and this dish is absolutely perfect. Thanks!
I’ll be definitely trying this recipe! I was wondering, do you have any suggestions for extra veggies I could add to this? I’m not as worried about cost, so I try to up the veggie content whenever possible. I’m thinking red and green peppers should work, but not sure about anything else. Zucchini/squash type vegetables are pretty much the only non-option, because my husband can’t stand them.
Well, bell peppers and zucchini were going to be my first two options. :D How about cut up green beans? That might be interesting.