After going through a week of hunger in week one of the SNAP Challenge, I knew I had to rethink my strategy. Luckily, the hunger allowed me to pinpoint certain ingredients that really keep me full and satisfied for a large part of the day. For me, that’s pasta, beans, and cheese. I wanted to do a “one pot” dish because they’re easy and I don’t have to bother planning side dishes. Everything that I’m eating is in one easy-to-reheat bowl. So, the first thing that came to mind was my Chili Cheese Beef n’ Mac. I love that stuff, but decided to add a few extra ingredients, like beans, diced tomatoes, and corn, to make it more chili-like and a little more well rounded as a meal. The result? This DEEE-LICIOUS One Pot Chili Pasta.
And after eating this all week, I’m a happy camper this week, for sure.
P.S. Click here for a vegetarian version of this recipe: Cheesy Vegetarian Chili Mac
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Can You Freeze One Pot Chili Pasta?
Yes! I find that this dish freezes very well. I suggest dividing the recipe into single-serving portions first, then cooling completely in the refrigerator before transferring to the freezer. Once frozen, you can keep this One Pot Chili Pasta for about three months.
How to Reheat One Pot Chili Pasta
To reheat from the refrigerator I suggest using the microwave, heating on high for 30-60 seconds at a time, stirring between, until heated through. To reheat from the freezer, either first let it thaw in the refrigerator over night, then use the refrigerator reheating instructions, or reheat straight from the freezer using your microwave’s defrost function.
One Pot Chili Pasta
Servings 9 1 cup eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.42)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($2.46)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp chili powder ($0.30)
- 1 15oz. can tomato sauce ($0.79)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.79)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.99)
- 1 15oz. can kidney beans ($1.09)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.60)
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni ($0.85)
- 2 cups beef broth* ($0.08)
- 1 cup shredded cheese ($1.00)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or until soft and transparent. Add the ground beef and continue to stir and cook until it is fully browned. If using a high fat ground beef, drain off the excessive after it is browned.
- Add the flour and chili powder to the pot and stir to coat the meat. Continue to stir and cook the coated meat for 1-2 minutes more. The flour and chili powder may coat the bottom of the pot, but that’s okay. Just be careful to not let it burn.
- Drain and rinse the black and kidney beans. Add the beans, tomato sauce, diced tomato, and corn kernels to the pot. Stir well and dissolve the flour/chili powder mixture from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the dry macaroni and two cups of beef broth to the pot and stir to combine. Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to high, and let the pot come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, give it a quick stir to loosen any pasta stuck to the bottom of the pot, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the pot simmer on medium-low for about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is soft and has absorbed most of the liquid. Stir the pot one or two times during the 15 minutes to loosen any pasta stuck to the bottom.
- Once the pasta is fully cooked, turn the heat off and add the cheese. Stir the cheese into the pasta until it has melted in and become slightly creamy. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make One Pot Chili Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Start by dicing one medium onion and mincing two cloves of garlic. Cook the onion and garlic in a large pot with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat for one to two minutes, or until softened.
I used 1/2 lb. of ground beef and promptly froze the other half for later use. Add 1/2 lb. to the pot and continue to sauté until the beef is fully browned. If you’re using a higher fat beef, drain off the excess fat after it is browned.
To the browned ground beef add 2 Tbsp all purpose flour and 2 Tbsp chili powder. The flour will help thicken the sauce later. The chili powder is NOT cayenne pepper or hot chile powder, it is a mild blend of spices that is sold in the U.S as “chili” powder, not “chile” powder. If they don’t sell that where you’re at, you could actually also use a single packet of chili or taco seasoning.
Stir and cook the flour and chili powder with the browned beef. It will begin to coat the bottom of the pot, but that’s okay because it will dissolve off in the next step. Just be careful that the heat is not so high that it will burn it. Cook this mixture for about two minutes more (this cooks out that raw flour-y flavor).
These are the canned goods that go into my chili (no time to cook my own beans this week). It’s one 15-oz. can each of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, and kidney beans. Drain and rinse the beans before adding to the pot.
Add the drained and rinsed beans to the pot along with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and one cup of frozen corn kernels. Stir this mixture well and dissolve the flour off the bottom of the pot as you do so.
At this point you already have a pretty damn good lookin’ chili, but we’re going to go one step further and add some pasta to help make it an entire meal in a bowl.
I used whole wheat pasta just to add a bit more fiber. You’ll need to add 2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni and 2 cups of beef broth. I was out of my beloved Better Than Bouillon and a recent price hike meant that it didn’t fit in my weekly SNAP budget. Luckily, this powdered bouillon was on clearance and I got it for $2! Score.
Add the pasta and broth to the pot, place a lid on top, turn the heat up to high, and let it come to a boil. Once it reaches a bowl, give it a quick stir to loosen any pasta stuck to the bottom, then replace the lid, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. You’ll want to stir one or two times during the simmering, too, to keep the pasta from sticking.
This is what it will look like once the pasta is cooked. Still a little liquidy, but it will continue to absorb the flavorful liquid.
Add one cup of shredded cheese and stir it in until melted and creamy. I just happened to have “taco cheese”, but plain cheddar or monterey jack would also work well. Just avoid mozzarella, which tends to be more stringy when melted.
And this delicious one pot chili pasta is what has been keeping me full and satisfied all week. I love it! :D
This was a good recipe! Im glad i went with my gut and used only 1 tbsp of “chili” powder. This was very spicy and i like spicy foods. I added a good dose of lemon juice to cut the spiciness down. It worked well…The only other thing i did was add a block of cream cheese since i didnt have cheddar. JUST BEWARE AND START OUT A LOWER AMOUNT OF CHILI POWDER AND ADD AS NEEDED. I will make this again
This is delicious and I’ve made it once a week for like two months now. I do have a quick question tho-
My dad wants me to make this for him but he wants it made with rice instead of pasta. I don’t think that would be a difficult swap- but I’m so new to cooking that I’m afraid I wouldn’t know the appropriate adjustments.
Could you possibly advise on how I could adjust the amount of liquid/time and how much rice to use in place of the pasta? of course I know y’all haven’t tested it, but any suggestions would be great!
Hi, Riley! Excited to help you develop your first recipe! First, I will say — it sounds like you already have some good instincts. Trust them! And know that part of the fun (especially in our job!) is the trial and error process. (Emphasis on the word ERROR!) While I don’t have super specific suggestions (Since, as you know…we haven’t tested it ourselves!), I will point you to some of our similar recipes that include rice. I would combine the cooking techniques of this recipe with the others and adjust the amount of the ingredients to match how much you want to make (which you can do with help from the serving size drop-down at the top of each recipe card) to best match the results and servings you want to make. No matter what happens, it will be delish!
One-pot rice recipes:
https://www.budgetbytes.com/dsd-sausage-and-rice/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/cajun-sausage-and-rice-skillet/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pot-chicken-and-rice/
Rice cooked separately (1 cup dry rice = 3 cups cooked):
https://www.budgetbytes.com/beef-burrito-casserole/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/bbq-beef-and-beans/
I hope this helps! ~Marion :)
Why not do another SNAP challenge or just call it a month of inexpensive eating. Food prices are still very high and we could use your expertise to make it easier for singles, families, and seniors all trying to live on less.
Hi, Kris! Thanks for reaching out! I will bring up that idea at our next content planning meeting. In the meantime, I would suggest going to our recipe index and filtering them based on the cost per recipe to find the ones that are under $10, $5, or $3. You can also reduce the serving sizes at the top of each recipe card to help make some of our larger-batch recipes more budget-friendly. I hope that helps! ~Marion :)
Thank you for all your work. I love it.
How long can I keep this in the refrigerator?
Hi, Sev! This will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days. If frozen, it will keep for three months. ~Marion :)
Do you think this would work in an instant pot?
I’m sure it would, but as we haven’t made it in an instant pot, we don’t have any guidance. XOXO -Monti
I made it in one and it turned out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!
One of my favorite go-to recipes! I cook it without the macaroni so I can freeze it (it makes a TON), then just cook the pasta separately when I want to eat it. Also use ground turkey and chicken broth en lieu of beef. So good!
I had a great time making this recipe, and it’s so filling that I feel like I’ll have enough food to eat for a week! Thank you so much
Is one cup really enough to satisfy the appetite of a middle-aged man?
I don’t know. Appetites vary based on so many different factors. There’s never going to be a one-size-fits-all serving size. :)
I made some minor changes (didn’t have enough chili powder and added some of the zucchini that’s growing like weeds right now in our garden) but fortunately this recipe is very flexible and forgiving—and super easy to double! I also slightly overcooked the macaroni…oops!…but this recipe was still a hit with our family, especially our 2yo! :)
Use a giant pot! I had to transfer mine halfway through cooking. I used ground turkey and got 6 big servings for about 500 calories each.
Just made this! It’s tasty! An easy winner. Pretty much just chili with pasta and that’s a keeper in my book. I don’t think I changed anything. Tried to go a little lighter on the cheese, but i didn’t actually measure it so who knows. Super easy to make and easily adjusted if desired. Might add frozen spinach next time to add something green.
Love this recipe! I didn’t feel like using beef, so I simply omitted it, and the beans and other filling were plenty and I didn’t miss the beef at all. I divided it into six portions and froze half of them to pull out for easy, filling lunches, and after thawing for about a day in the fridge the texture was just as good as ever and everything was delicious. Definitely a recipe I’d like to continue making in the future.
I modified this to be vegetarian, using Boca crumbles and vegetable broth. It was so easy and so delicious! Definitely a hit with the whole family!
This is soooo good!! I love how easy it is to modify – I only have fusilli and red lentil pasta so I used a combination of that, white kidney beans, added cumin, more broth, and no cheese!! So happy I now have lots of food for the weekend :) thank you!
This was delicious. We’ve been working through the pantry meals since the quarantine stuff started. We made this for Saturday night’s supper. This and the white bean chili are so filling that I can only deal one bowl and I’m full so we get leftovers. This was our 5th one out of the 15.
How could i do this in an instant pot
The warning about the chilli powder needs to be much more prominent. In the UK this essentially means cayenne. What I have ended up with is almost inedible.
There’s an entire paragraph about this… I don’t think the warning could be any more prominent.
Really great recipe! Cheap to make and versatile. I conveniently had 1/2lb of ground turkey in the freezer so I used that instead. Used a little less cheese and also threw in a bag of spinach at the very end that needed to be used up. :)
Great work using what you have on hand Sara!
Can you freeze leftover portions of this?
Yep. :)
Same as someone before when they said the recipe was bland but I tasted the sauce as it developed and added more chili powder. I did not use onion, only onion powder but I am happy with the finished results. Thanks Beth!
The first time I made this, the 2 Tbsp of chili powder severely overpowered any other flavor. The “smokey” flavor was overwhelming. I made it again last night, only putting in 1 Tbsp of chili powder this time (I learned my lesson), and then gradually adding more in as it cooked as I tasted throughout the 15-minute simmer. Definitely better than the first time!
Made this (twice!) last week and really enjoyed it! After my first time making it, I ended up adding more corn and a few helpings of hot sauce. Sour cream after serving is yummy too!!
What a delicious, economical recipe! Thank you! I had never thought of making this type of dish and adding flour to the browned meat, but, wow, great idea. It thickened things beautifully. I used Wondra, which I really like for the convenience of the shaker jar packaging.
Husband and I loved this! I made it vegan by subbing Beyond Meat crumbles and Edward and Sons’ bouillon ‘beef’ stock. Then dumped some yummy nooch on top in place of cheese. Yum! It was so easy, filling and perfect for a weekday night after work. Thanks!
How much nooch did you use?
One of our family’s stand-out favorites! It’s so comforting, satisfying, and delicious.
We are vegan, so make a few simple substitutions – vegetarian “crumbles” instead of ground beef, veggie broth with added miso for the beef broth, vegetarian cheese. We also like it with taco seasoning in place of the chili powder.
It’s so scrumptious! Even my picky son (who “hates tomatoes”) scarfs it up. I won’t tell him if you don’t. :-)
Followed recipe accordingly and came out super blan has potential tho.
But it’s so easy to adjust the seasonings – more chili powder, add paprika, hot sauce, salt – you name it. Have fun!
Yum! I’m gluten free so I made this with oat flour and black bean pasta (extra protein!) and it turned out delicious. Quick, easy and inexpensive meal prep for the week.
Made this again tonight and it reminded me how much we enjoy it. It’s a meal the whole family likes, even our 3 and 1 year olds devoured it and the 3 year old asked for seconds. I like to switch between this version and the 3-bean version depending on if ground beef is available for a good price. Also, I made the 3-bean chili mac over the summer during the family’s reunion-like annual vacation and shared it with relatives (because the batch is so big). They all loved it and grandma asked for the recipe.
I made this for dinner last night. I used 2 cans of pinto beans (chili style) and left out the corn. It was delicious, and so easy! Thank you!
Made this for myself to last a week and last a week it did…. I could see adding in some peppers or tobasco to give it a bit more fire. Freezes very well. Also was a learning experience.
I love this recipe it’s super easy and very good. It’s great for weeknights when you need to feed the family and don’t want a lot of fuss.
Giving it a try hope it’s good
Trying it out hope that it is good
This was amazing! My picky son ate it up! I don’t eat red meat so I used ground turkey but other than that I followed the recipe exactly.
Oh. My. Gosh. The One Pot Chili Pasta is absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I skipped the kidney beans and the frozen corn and only used black beans. It was so good that I came back for seconds, even though I’m supposed to have left overs that will last for several days. I’m looking forward to eating the pasta for dinner this week. Thank you so much for the awesome recipe, Beth!!! :-)
Glad you liked this one too, LaTrice! :) :)
Would small shell pasta be a good substitute for elbow macaroni?
Yes, that would probably work well.
This ended up being a mushy mess. I couldn’t finish my first bowl – definitely no seconds for me! My husband usually eats seconds or thirds and he managed to get one bowl down. Thank goodness it was a cheaper meal as we eat organic and ingredients can be really expensive. Will NOT be making this again!
We had this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! Thank you for the recipe.
I made a vegan version of this (vegan “beef” crumbles, vegan cheddar), and it honestly is one of the best chilis I’ve ever had. Simple, relatively cheap — even with the vegan swaps — and the perfect balance of beans and noodles. Plus, the perfect amount of spicy! Thank you for this!
This pasta was amazing and so easy to make!! Even my picky boyfriend loved it. There was enough to feed us for several nights. Would this recipe work with ground turkey?
Probably, yes. :) Less beefy flavor, I’m sure, but it should work the same otherwise!
This recipe is awesome- cheap , CRAZY filling and is so delicious I don’t mind eating it all week. The only change I made was to skip adding the corn (just didn’t want it).
It also freezes well, tastes great reheated in the microwave.
Very hearty. We ate it with rice, since we’re Filipino. The wife and toddlers scarfed it up and I had lunch for days.
Burnt the heck out of the bottom while letting it come to a boil (darn ceramic cook-top & crappy pot combo), but the burnt bits actually add to the smoky flavour. And a little charcoal is good for you, I’m sure.
Great recipe! Just wanted to share something I learned – for ground beef, it’s SUPER convenient to buy frozen hamburger patties instead of refrigerated ground meat. That way, the unused portion is already frozen, and it’s already divided into 1/4 lb portions for you!
This is so simple to make and so delicious, I’m amazed. I left out the kidney beans and cheese out of personal preference, and overestimated the capacity of my pot – but the results came out tasty as anything! I think it will re-heat nicely for lunch at work, too, which is a plus. Awesome recipe, I will definitely be making this again!
Made this tonight, it was delicious. Kids devoured it which is the biggest compliment.
This looks really yummy and really easy to do. Love one pot meals.
How would you suggest altering the broth amount if I plan to cook the pasta separately?
Hmm, that’s trickier than it seems. I’d probably just eliminate the flour and beef broth all together, and let the chili powder and tomato sauce create the sauce on their own.
I made this tonight and it was wonderful! I didn’t have any meat so I used two onions and an additional can of kidney beans. My husband loved it and it made a huge pot!
just made this today but it came out far too runny / too much liquid. couldn’t actually find elbow macaroni cos uk shops suck,had to use penne. maybe I didn’t put in right amount of pasta. could you tell me how much pasta in ounces or grams? I tried googling, and best result said 2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni weighs 8oz.. in the meantime i guess i’ll boil some extra pasta tomorrow to add into the leftovers. otherwise it was very yummy!
Yes, because macaroni is much smaller, there is a lot more pasta than if you were to measure out the same volume of penne (more empty space). It would probably take some experimentation to figure out exactly how much penne is right for that amount of liquid.
So good. I don’t bother buying chili powder anymore, I just make my own spice blend. (Has garlic powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, and oregano – don’t remember the exact proportions, but I got it from the Humbled Homemaker blog).
I made this recipe for dinner and loved it. Planning on using it for lunch at work for a few days as others have suggested.
My only gripe was the chucks of diced tomatoes. I’m not a fan of chucky tomatoes and ended up just picking them out. Can I use an additional can of tomato sauce instead of the diced tomatoes?
Yep, you could do that. :) Maybe try petite diced tomatoes, too? They’re very small and will probably break down more during the simmering.
This was fantastic! Just made it for the first time. Decreased the cook time to leave the noodles more al dente. Will definitely be in my regular rotation, especially since it doesn’t require too many fresh ingredients or planning ahead.
YUM!! Great recipe that was quick and simple to put together, and gave is plenty of leftovers for work lunches. The only change I made was to swap out the diced tomatoes for a can of hot Rotel, since it was on sale a few weeks ago and I bought many cans to stock our pantry. It gave this recipe a nice little kick too, so I will most likely keep making it with the Rotel. Hubby didn’t even make his usual comment about how the recipe could use more meat (he likes to mess with me sometimes). Apparently he took the leftovers this morning and couldn’t wait to have them for lunch. I just got a text the ‘chili noodle stuff’ made a tasty breakfast :)
I will say since trying your recipes(made around 10 now), I am starting to think about swapping from my faithful pantry staple of organic boxed stock/broth and trying the Better Than Bouillon. I have seen the organic version at my store, and it is a nice perk to make what you need for the recipe. I like the fact too that I have seen it on sale, so in the long run, this will be MUCH cheaper than my boxed brand. Plus it will take up less space in my pantry. Might have to try it sometime soon to see how the taste factor plays a role – hopefully we won’t notice a difference. It’s a thought for sure….
Thanks again for sharing this recipe. It’s a definite keeper!!!
Looks delicious!! If I wanted to cut this in half, would it be possible to use just diced tomatoes or just sauce so I don’t have to use half of both? Thanks!
Yep! I think your best bet would be to use an 8oz. can of tomato sauce.
This looks so yummy, but is this doable without the cheese? I’m living with someone who has lactose intolerance, and would love to try this.
Yes, it still tastes pretty good without the cheese, but the cheese takes it over the top for me. :)
Delicious! I made a vegetarian version with vegetable Better than Bouillon and Morningstar crumbles because I had a bag on hand. There’s enough flavor in here that I think TVP would work well too for a cheaper option. I added a poblano pepper, too, since I had one.
This recipe made enough for lunches for the week. Maybe six or seven generous portions. The only downside is that the pasta, which was al dente the first night, continues absorbing broth in the fridge. If I make it again I may cook the pasta separately and adjust the liquid proportionately, so I can add the pasta when I serve it.
I just made this tonight and it was delicious! I used a full lb of ground beef and less chili powder because I ran out, and it was still great! Thank you for sharing recipes that are easy to make and inexpensive, you make cooking enjoyable and fun!
So good! I made this tonight and it was excellent and very filling! I was only able to eat one little bowl and I still have so much left over! This is a lifesaver for a college student like me! Excellent recipe!
I absolutely love this recipe. I probably make it at least once a week. It’s my go to “Oh s**t meal” for when I have absolutely no idea what I’m making. I also love that it only takes 1/2 lb ground beef! 2 meals out of one pound. =D
Have I told you lately how much my kids and I love this? For sure a fall/winter staple in my house!
This was really good! These are the changes/additions I made and they all worked really well:
– I used peas because I forgot to get corn at the store
– I added diced red jalapeños (not spicy) because I had them available and didn’t want them to go bad
– I added a sprinkling of brown sugar to each serving
I just had to tell you how much I LOVE this dish. I literally made it about once a week last fall/winter – it is so delicious. I use ground turkey instead of beef and we have this ghost pepper salt (we like spicy around here) that we use to season each bowl to taste and it is AMAZING. Thank you!! This is a comfort food staple!
This dish shouldn’t be so delicious considering how easy and inexpensive it is, but it is! I loved every bite of it. I used a touch more beef, 0.8 of a pound, and the ratio of pasta to beans to meat was just perfect. It’s so satisfying, filling, tasty, but also well-spiced, and not bland or one-note at all. I had just bought new chili powder, which I was happy about using here. I had an old jalapeno lying around which I threw in (after removing the seeds), and that slightly bumped up the heat in a nice way (I don’t have much of a hot tolerance). All in all this hits all the notes for me (inexpensive, delicious, easy, filling) and I will be making this time and time again.
This was good, very inexpensive, and a great mix of flavors. I did add more chili powder and cheese than called for and also added cumin. I inadvertently only put about a cup of a half of macaroni as I was looking between this and another recipe on Pinterest. My only criticism is the noodles do get soggier than I would like. I might change it in the future by making the chili and the Mac and cheese separately (using less liquid in the chili) and just spooning the chili over the Mac and cheese.
FAN-TAS-TIC! Excellent budget meal. Thank you!
I just made this and it is fabulous! So filling and flavorful. Thanks :)
This dish was awesome and filling! It served as a great weeknight dinner for several days!
Haha, hello! I’ve trying recipes from your site on and off for a few months now and OMG you make cooking on a budget a cinch – my days of stirfry are in the past! Ahaha, so back to the topic at hand, I gave this chili a whirl and got into a bit of a fight with it: added the beans before the flour, had tomato paste instead of tomato sauce (which water helped solve), and used chicken broth instead of beef. But overall it was still uber delicous! Thank you so much for being so epic!! :D You make this poor college student’s tummy and wallet full as well
So good! My picky 8 year old even liked it! My 10 year old said it’s like chili and goulash had a baby, haha. We’ve got tons of leftovers, too, which is great!
I tried this recipe last night and discovered I didn’t have a big enough pot to put everything in! But I remembered my crock pot and put everything in there and added the onions, garlic, and pasta last and let it cook for an hour and it was perfect! Even my best friend’s wife who doesn’t like beans enjoyed it! Love your recipes, Beth! Thank you!
I made this for supper tonight and it reminded me of Hamburger Helper :) I love the pasta recipes on your site! They taste great and I aways have leftovers.
Delicious and filling! I used a can of Rotel in place of plain diced tomatoes since I had it on hand and it added a great little kick.
This was so good! I used ground turkey and no cheese, and it turned out great.
I just started cooking after having lived off of 3 basic dishes I knew how to make for years! This was super simple to make, and tasted delicious! The fact I can have leftovers for 2 days is perfect for my college student budget =]
Thank you so much!
I made this last night for dinner and my husband’s reaction was “…Oh…oh my God.” That good.
I’m eating it right now. I love this recipe because it is filled with so many pantry staples. I didn’t have macaroni on hand, but in my grocer’s bulk section, 2 cups was $.37. Amazing.
Two modifications: Had chicken broth so I used it.
And second, I’m only admitting this with the anonymity of the internet—I used chunks of leftover velveeta instead of the shredded cheese (I just popped the squares in when I set it to low-medium). SO GUILTILY GOOD.
Loved! I made this and ate off of it for 4 days straight. It was filling and delicious!
I thought I’d post here for anyone who’s interested that I veganized this and it was awesome. I put in fried tofu for the ground beef, nutritional yeast rather than cheese, and thickened it with a bit of corn starch at the end (I left off the flour because I was out). Great recipe!
Made this as filling thing to have around the week before we close and then move into a house. Last time we moved we ended up not being prepared with food and blowing too much $$ in the process.
Its been delicious! reheats great, and the hubby said, “I’ve eaten this for lunch and dinner on the same day and I’m still not tired of it” which is great!
Also – just to use up things in the house we used a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, whole wheat penne pasta and added a touch more water and sprinkled just a touch of brown sugar in it during the simmering phase to help make the crushed tomatoes a touch more ‘saucey’.
Great recipe! I added a pureed can of stewed tomatoes in place of the tomato sauce–didn’t realize I was out–and also added fresh cilantro and a splash of apple cider vinegar to brighten the flavor. Still came out phenomenal and made enough to feed an army! Thanks for another keeper!
What is “single packet of chili” or “taco seasoning”?
I thought chili powder is cayenne pepper?
Or do you mean this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_powder ?
Is you your chili powder a mix of cayenne peppers, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt?
In the U.S. “chili powder” (not “chile powder”) is a mild blend of spices used primarily to season the dish called chili. It’s definitely different than cayenne, which confuses a lot of people. :) They also sell single packets of premixed spices just for making one batch of chili or tacos, so that could also be used. The premixed packets are usually a mix of chile powder (mild), cumin, oregano, garlic powder, sometimes cayenne, and other spices. Each brand is unique.
I JUST finished this tonight and it was incredible. I followed the directions exactly and the dish turned out amazingly! I have so much left over, I’ll be set for lunch this week. I can’t wait to make this again for family get-togethers… more one-pot recipes, please! :-)
I made this a bit ago and have been craving it ever since! I actually made a double batch of this for around only $8! And it tasted great chilled, so it made it even easier to pack for lunch as I didn’t have to have a microwave. An A+ in my book.
Made this tonight! Tastes like more of a goulash than chili, but either way it’s great. This will definitely last us a couple of days for lunch and dinner. Inexpensive and easy. I used ground turkey instead of beef.
So good! We made this today FOR LUNCH with a toddler on hand. We did sub lentils for ground beef (1/2 cup dry lentils precooked in beef broth), as another reviewer suggested, because that’s what we had on hand, and ground beef is expensive. Didn’t even miss the beef – and sometimes, lentils as a beef substitute can be a little dicey and weird, but they worked really well here. Toddler approved (with a heavy hand on plain greek yogurt) and parent verified as delicious. I have to say, my husband and I used to follow your site 3-4 years ago when we we were childless and living in San Diego with astronomical rent, and MAN – hard work pays off, your recipes were good before, but now, they are phenomenal, count us impressed! Is there a way to donate to the blog? I’ve gleaned you have a job outside of this blog, and running a blog, especially one like this, is an astronomical amount of work. We’re long time followers and would love to support :). Thank you so much for being amazing and dedicated to providing cheap, delicious recipes – especially ones with portioning enough for families, including leftovers.
Thank you Sarah! Your willingness to give back is so touching. :D All of my hard work has paid off, though, and I was recently able to switch to blogging full time. Just by visiting my blog you’re helping to support me, so that’s more than enough. I appreciate it greatly! :D
Your book is on my TO BUY list as a way to support as well. My family has loved every recipe I’ve made from this site. This is my third go on this chili.
Thank s for this great recipe, made it today and I really enjoyd it!
I just made this tonight and while I liked it, especially the one-pot aspect, mine came out bloody spicy! I’m going to freeze the leftovers and try cooling it down by doing something else with it, maybe adding cream to cut the heat. It did make heaps though which I also love!
Your chili powder may have been different than what I used. :) Mine has no heat. At least it was still tasty! :)
This looks amazing! If I cooked this ahead time, could I put a
slow cooker for a couple hours for a potluck in the afternoon?
Thanks!
You could, but you have to remember that keeping it in the heated slow cooker will make the pasta continue to cook. So, the pasta will get quite a bit softer and it will soak up more of the liquid. That sort of thing doesn’t bother me, but some people are rather sensitive to soft pasta. :)
This recipe is great. I froze 5 containers of this and when I reheated it was still tasty!
This looks really taste, need to try it out as soon as possible! I was wondering, though, would you consider adding a “one-pot” tag to your recipes? I love that you mention this (most recipes don’t and it’s my preferred way of cooking), but searching is kinda hard. Thanks for all the awesome recipes!
Yes! I plan to do that soon! :)
I don’t usually comment on recipes but I have to say I was really pleased with this one – I made a lot of changes that most likely made the dish LESS tasty and it’s still really good! I’m on a really tight budget this week so I used brown beans instead of kidney beans even though I like kidneys better – I skipped the corn completely and only added about ½cup of shredded cheese. And I’m a vegetarian and didn’t use meat or substitute it with anything.The batch made less than yours (I got about 5 meals out of it) but it was an awesome recipe!
I just recently found your site, so far I’ve tried this and the red lentil stew, they were both great! I don’t like to spend too much money on food so you’re blog is one of my favorites right now for browsing recipes on a budget. Thank you so much!
Beth, do you think this would freeze well? It makes much more than my family needs for one meal, I’d love to get another meal out of it.
Yes, this should freeze very well. :)
Does the pasta get mushy when reheated?
thanks
A little, yes, but it’s still delicious.
This looks super yummy! Any suggestions for a different type of meat? I’m a carnivore, but I don’t love ground beef. Thanks!
Ground turkey or pork would also work. :)
One pot pasta? I’m in!
Big thumbs up from my 7-year-old, even though she was a bit leery at first. This is definitely going in the rotation.
Made this tonight and it was fantastic. Made the following changes :
Ground turkey instead of beef
Vegetable broth instead of beef broth
Diced tomatoes with green chiles
Added cilantro on top
Such a great recipe that can be tailored anyway you need. Highly recommend and one pot prep is the best!!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was YUMMIE. Really filling and satisfying.
As I didn’t have any chili powder, I seasoned with cumin, paprika and a little salt and black pepper (as I would do if I was making a regular chili).
It yielded five huge portions, but if you don’t run out of plastic containers while portioning, like I did, you could get at least six portions worth. At least.
This is a new kid favorite in our house! I made a few modifications. I cooked the pasta separately so I could freeze half of the chili and I’m glad I did because this makes a TON! With the pasta cooking while I made the chili, it only took 20 minutes.
I made this tonight. Really easy and came out very well. I had to add some salt and red pepper flakes because it came out initially tasting very ‘beany’ for lack of a better word.
I might try subbing lentils for the meat next time and adding some cumin. I’m always looking for new meatless recipes. Nothing against meat, it’s just really expensive.
On an unrelated topic, I picked up a spaghetti squash today and I have no idea what to do with it. Any suggestions?
I just picked up a spaghetti squash, too, so maybe I’ll have a recipe to post soon! :)
This was so, so delicious!! I only had half an onion, so I also added a diced red bell pepper, and used 1lb of ground turkey instead of beef. I threw in a few shakes of cumin, because I pretty much love cumin in everything, and this was truly delicious!! I love your recipes, and I appreciate all your hard work!!
Thanks for this recipe! Have you considered adding a tag for your one-pot recipes? I’ve come to the site specifically looking for them a few times, and while I do love scrolling through other things, it’d be nice to see them all on one page.
I do need to do that, yes. :) I’ve only recently gotten on the “one pot meal” train, so I should adjust the labels accordingly.
Beth – I think you’re at a whole new level with this recipe. I am stunned at how delicious this tastes, and for such little effort! Absolutely one of my favorites from your blog. My fiance will be pleasantly surprised when he tries this for lunch tomorrow. :)
This recipe is delicious! I used 1 lb of ground venison because that’s what was defrosted and needed to get cooked. I bumped up the chili powder and flour to 3 Tbsp and didn’t alter anything else. I love it, especially the addition of the corn for a nice sweet note. Thanks so much Beth – this will definitely be a go to recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight. Loved it! I used a lb of ground turkey and doubled the noodles/water, and extra black beans (a bag I cooked and froze that had extra in it). Plenty of leftovers!
Thanks for a great recipe! It turned out deliciously even though I bought beef stock instead of broth and forgot to buy tomatoes. Made a ton and I’m stuffed! I am also making your chorizo, sweet potato enchiladas this week which I have made several times and love. Apparently it’s a budget bytes week for me !!:)
I just bought 5 lbs of ground beef because it was on sale. Sounds like the perfect opportunity to try out this chili :)
Great! I used 2 lbs of chicken instead of beef and increased the (chicken) broth to 3 cups. Will definitely make again.
Do you think this would turn out okay without meat/meat substitute in it?
Yes, absolutely. I think it would be great even without meat or a substitute.
I made a vegetarian version using Tofurky chorizo instead of beef, and Better Than Bouillon mushroom base as the broth. Soooooo good!
I made this about a half hour ago and I have a new favorite go-to recipe. I’ve already shared on Facebook, Twitter, and Pintrest in the last five minutes, because in my opinion, everyone needs to know about this little spoonful of heaven.
One question — I would love to use whole wheat elbows, but my local store doesn’t carry them. They do have other whole wheat pastas however, so is there another pasta that might work as well?
You can pretty much use any shape you’d like. Just keep in mind that some shapes that are more “dense” may absorb more liquid and make the chili thicker.
This was delish! I used lentils (1/2 cup dry cooked in beef broth) in place of the beef since that’s what I had on hand. It was really good and I didn’t miss the meat. My toddler liked it as well.
Oops, I forgot to rate it.
Made this yesterday for my grandkids. It was delicious but I think I’ll use less pasta next time. Mine soaked up all the juice. I like mine a little thinner.
OH i FORGOT TO MENTION: I did use 2 lbs of ground beef from Walmart, cheap….
Thanks for all of your amazing recipes! I love the one-pot dishes. For this one, I don’t have beef broth, but I do have a jar of beef gravy. Do you think I could substitute it or possibly combine it with water?
Hmm… I don’t know about that. It might work to thin it out with water, but I think I’d probably just use water in place of the beef broth and add extra salt and maybe a few extra herbs (oregano, cumin, pepper).
Made this tonight….yum! Added the corn to my bowl since hubby doesn’t like it & was fine. Thanks!
This looks so yummy, do you think this is freezer friendly? Or freeze before adding the pasta?
Yes, it’s very freezer friendly. :) I freeze pasta all the time with no problems.
so glad you asked this; I am making a batch of this so I can freeze some for later! I will post my opinions after making it..I am making it in crock pot however.
oh my GOSH this was GOOOOOOOOOD!!!! I adapted it a teensy bit, because as I mentioned, I was doing it in crock pot, and freezing some. I sauteed the onion and garlic (used a 2-3 cloves, and 1 onion),browned the ground beef, put in crock pot sprayed with Pam or no-name version, washed, drained and added 2 cans red beans, 1 can black beans, 1 can Hunt’s tomato sauce (with some spices in it) added cumin seeds and chili powder and salt and pepper, added some beef broth for right consistency, some frozen corn (about 2 cups, then added more–went by how it looked)…didn’t have can of diced tomatoes so did without…cooked macaroni separately (A 500 G BOX of elbows) when crock pot was nearly done. then mixed it all together, put in 3, COUNT’ EM THREE casserole dishes, topped with shredded cheddar, put under broil in oven just to melt cheese, and froze 2 of them for later.. it was REALLY REALLY GOOD!!!! I will DEFINITELY make this again and again, and would use for company dish… DELISH!!!!
Excellent!! I used a whole pound of meat (although I totally appreciate this SNAP challenge – I could have easily stretched it even more with more corn, beans, or pasta). It is so yummy.
Great recipe! It was so quick and easy to make – love that! I added a can of olives to mine which added a nice flavor to the whole dish.
Made this last night and it was delish!!! Will make this again but with more beans and no pasta…trying to watch the waistline!
This looks so good. Your chili mac is on a weekly rotation at my house. I always add whatever veggies I have from my CSA that need to be used up. I’ve added carrot, zucchini, leek, spinach, and kale (at different times). My kids would love the black bean and corn addition. Thank you so much for the yummy recipes!
Yum! Thanks for this recipe :) I made this tonight and it was very comforting on a chilly evening. Made a few substitutions- veggie burger crumbles and veggie broth instead of beef; had time for dry beans, so cooked a pound and used half for this recipe; added a little extra corn. Between the substitutions and my grocery store’s sales this week, my total came to just about $8 and the recipe made a big potful! I divided it into 6 big servings (I’m pregnant and my husband is very active, so we have hearty appetites). Easy enough that I would make it on a weeknight, too, which is another plus. Scores high in all categories: inexpensive, nutritious, flavorful, and easy to cook. This will definitely be in our fall and winter meal rotation.
I have yet to try a one-pot dish, and this looks like a great one to start with. Bookmarking to try soon!
Made this as my ‘base dish for the week’ – it did not take long. I substituted ground turkey for ground beef because I don’t like the texture reheated beef sometimes has. I also used bullion, and I didn’t have frozen corn so I threw in a small drained can of corn.
I am generally not a pasta fan, but this stuff is darn good. Flavorful (but not spicy), and it’s also very filling.
I intend to freeze a good portion of it for when I get home from work and I am hostile and Need Food Now.
Chili is definitely filling and adding pasta is a easy way to stretch it out! I think I would eat 2 cups as one serving (although one should probably stick to one cup). I bought this McCormick Mexican chili powder and I think it’s similar to regular chili powder. I made a chorizo chili with it and it tasted pretty good.
I wonder if leftover brown rice instead of pasta would work?
I think I’d spoon the chili over the rice in a bowl, rather than mixing it into the pot. That would be pretty good. :)
Made this tonight. We didn’t have enough beans in the pantry, so I threw in some canned mushrooms and some shredded carrots that I had on hand. I also added a couple of glugs of Worcestershire sauce. Hubby and I loved it; my kids found it a little spicy, so for them I added a dollop of sour cream to cut the heat. This recipe is a keeper!
How are you saving this for the week to come?
Also all I have is turkey meat, will it work?
Yep, ground turkey will work great in this. I used the same resealable food storage containers for this as I did the Soy Dijon Chicken. They can be kept in the fridge or the freezer and can be used in the microwave, so they’re perfect!
Menudo spice mix is also a solid replacement for chili powder — it’s mild to medium chiles, with oregano, thyme, and black pepper usually, and costs about $1 for a ~1.5oz packet/sachet from the Mexican foods rack, and which yields something like 6 tbsp? Very useful when you’ve just run out of chili powder, and fresher/tastier IMO, too.
When I was young, my family would always cut up a couple of potatoes and cook them with our ground beef — for just about anything that required ground beef. I haven’t thought of that in ages, but looking back it was a really good way to bulk up the chubs of 70-30 ground beef we bought, where you lose 1/3 of your weight in rendered fat, and then more in evaporated water. (Incidentally: this looks *much* yummier than the hamburger helper that was a staple in my home growing up.Will definitely be trying, probably with ground chicken or turkey since I’m somewhat put off of ground beef in anything but hamburger form.)
Also of note: google translate on the/a smartphone has been amazing as I stand before the racks of herbs and spices that weren’t covered in my Spanish classes (you think we’ll never need thyme in bolivia, señora?), looking the name of the thing that looks like I think dried the herb I want should look. Or confirming that yep, the ancho chiles I’m looking at won’t singe my tastebuds off, they’re just dried smoked poblanos, which are in fact large and 1 up from a green bell pepper mild.
Ain’t technology great ?!!? :)
I’ve used my phone in front of the spices also and helped a fellow shopper find a substitute for chervil.
And the calculator
I’m a computer programmer but never thought I’d use my phone the way I do now!
Just made this today. Unfortunately, when I opened my last package of macaroni (which I just bought two months ago!) I found meal moths. Gahhh. Dropped the macaroni, added a little beef broth for flavor, and simmered it a bit to thicken it. It still tastes yummy.:)
I made something very similar a couple weeks ago, and my 14 yr old loved it. It does freeze and reheat well too. I didn’t use corn in mine, but that sounds good.
This looks so good! That’s actually my favorite brand of bouillon. I was searching high and low for an affordable option that has no MSG.
I like cartons of organic broth but, 56 cups for $2-3 or 4 cups for $3-4. Yeah, not a difficult decision at this point.
Where do you buy that bouillon? I’ve never heard of it. I love that there’s no MSG. BTB doesn’t always fit the budget. Thanks!
It was just on the shelf at my local grocery store. I’ve never looked for it anywhere else because this was the first time I’ve seen/used it. :)
I know Albertsons and Walmart Neighborhood Market both carry it by me
I’ve seen it at Walmart and Fred Meyer (which is owned by Kroger).
Have you ever tried Textured Vegetable Protein, It has the same consistency of ground beef but is much cheaper. I use it to thicken chili if I haven’t got enough meat,or I want to make a vegetarian version.
Where do you buy it?
Looks good!
Beef is expensive around here so I’d likely use turkey (1.49/lb from Aldis).
This dish looked delicious immediately! Any recommendations if I were to be making it without meat?
Thank you for taking the time to participate in the SNAP challenge!
You can just leave the beef out and use vegetable broth instead. :)
If doing vegetarian chili you might consider something to add a bit of protein… I’ve even done peanut butter before to add some protein for vegetarian soups and such.
Just made a “vegan” version. Added extra can of black beans instead of ground beef and vegetable broth vs beef broth. Omitted the cheese. Turned out great!
Thank you for doing this series!!! I consider your website a amazing find since I’ve started my postdoc in new york and now have less disposable income than when I was a grad student. Adding this meal to my planned meal schedule in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again!
this is definitely a great way to go on about it.
Pssst. The link to the Chili Cheese Beef n’ Mac leads to the SNAP challenge page.
Oh, thank you!! I wish I would have seen that earlier. :P
That looks and sounds wonderful and filling, especially as it is 28F at my house this morning!
I am not on SNAP and my food budget is more than adequate, but I do get paid once a month. I understand SNAP benefits are paid once a month also. I like to have a once a month prep day after a payday shop and I would deconstruct this a bit: make a big batch of tomato sauce (with or without the ground beef or a mix of both), make a big pot of beans from dried. Then freeze the sauce(s) in 1 or ?? servings. Freeze each bean variety in servings…WITH their cooking liquid (a nicely seasoned bean liquor can sub for the beef broth). I also bake a large batch of brown rice and freeze that in servings. With the pieces you can make spaghetti or chili or lasagna rollups, burritos/enchiladas or a rice and bean dish, i.e. easy to pull out the pieces and assemble through the month and a bit of variety. Or you could assemble various things and freeze. I happen to like having most of the prep done and then fixing what sounds good, but everyone’s different and not everyone likes to do a mega-cook-prep :)
Looks delicious! Glad you found a good recipe to keep you from being hungry this week :)
I loathe corn. Do you think green bell pepper would be a good substitute?
I wouldn’t really call it a substitute, but it would probably be pretty good in there, too. :) Or, you can just leave the corn out and it will still be great!
This dish looks fantastic .. and sounds delish! I’m gearing up for a few weeks where I work full-time during the week and volunteer on weekends for our local film festival. I need easy meals to come home to that I can just dish up, nuke and enjoy! And with cooler weather just around the corner, this is likely going to be making it into regular rotation … among many others I’ve already added from your wonderful repertoire!!
Love following this series! Have you considered buying dried beans and rehydrating them? I believe it’s a lot cheaper, and tastier, too!!
Yep! I did that in week one with my chickpeas and I do it with black beans often, but unfortunately I didn’t have time this week. :)
Looks great! If I wanted to leave out all of the beans, should I just double the meat?
Yep, that would work! :)
I do not like ground meat or ground meat substitutes. Can I make it and just omit the meat?
Yes, absolutely. :)
I plan on doing this over the weekend!! This looks amazing and you can’t beat the price. Thanks for the constant budget friendly ideas. You are so inspiring!!
Another option would be to use an inexpensive steak cut and then dice it. Would also be good with diced chicken breasts or thighs.
This looks like a delicious dinner on a cold night. Thanks for sharing it. The corn sure does give it a pop of color.
Do you think this would freeze well? I’m only one person & can’t eat it all in one week- but it would be great to have single portions leftover to take for lunch. I don’t think I’ve ever frozen pasta before.
Yes, this type of dish usually freezes really well. :)
When freezing should the pasta be left out? Or will that freeze well?
I regularly make double- or triple-batches whenever I make pasta and freeze it with the pasta. I probably wouldn’t do it with spaghetti, but it works out really well with macaroni, cavatappi, or penne- any nice, sturdy noodles.
Thanks Christine!
I think it freezes just fine with the pasta in, but some people seem to be very sensitive to soft pasta. It doesn’t bother me a bit, though. :)
This looks soooo good! I can’t wait to whip it this weekend.
My only tip is to pre-cook the pasta, rinse cold, then add back to the pot of chili so it won’t get mushy.