Try this four ingredient easy chili mac recipe for a quick and simple dinner idea. It’s ready in less than 30 minutes and is made with ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
I have a kickin’ chili mac pasta skillet I also love to make, but when groceries are few and stretching pantry contents is vital, this easy chili mac recipe is my go-to meal.
Everyone enjoys the classic and simple flavors.
To make this easy chili mac, brown a pound of ground beef and cook a box of elbow mac according to package directions.
Then add a jar of your favorite pasta sauce and some chili powder to the ground beef, stirring to mix completely.
And that’s all there is to it! Serve and enjoy!
What kind of sauce should I use?
If you plan on adding additional ingredients (see below), use a simple pasta sauce or tomato sauce. My personal go-with-everything base pasta sauce is Ragu Traditional. It’s affordable, readily available and the flavor is uncomplicated.
If you don’t have a basic pasta sauce or tomato sauce, use whatever you have on hand, but make sure any added ingredients will complement the flavors of the sauce you’re using.
Can I add additional ingredients to the chili mac?
Absolutely! If you’re using a basic pasta sauce (as mentioned above), you can pretty much add anything your family would like.
Kidney beans
Diced or stewed tomatoes
Cheddar cheese
Green pepper
Whole kernel corn
Garlic
Onion
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
Substitute ground beef with ground turkey.
Easy Chili Mac Recipe
Easy Chili Mac Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 12-oz pkg elbow macaroni
- 1 1 lb 8oz jar pasta sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
Instructions
- Brown ground beef. When beef is cooked, add pasta sauce and chili powder, stirring to mix completely. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, return to pot. Stir sauce mixture in with noodles until coated completely.
Nutrition
Pin this simple pantry recipe to Pinterest for later.
Alissa A Apel says
I just made a homemade hamburger helper last night. Kind of reminds me of this. Gotta stay low key with Travis not working now.
Rosey says
The Ragu flavor IS uncomplicated. That is the perfect way to say it. We usually have a jar in the cupboard too. I like Paul Newman’s Sockarooni too. That one is a little more flavorful and has big chunks of peppers in it, yum. I used the Ragu for Spaghetti recently and the Paul Newman for a vegetable lasagna. Mm hmm hmm. 🙂