Warm up on chilly days with a delicious Chili Mac recipe. Enjoy the succulent flavor of creamy macaroni and cheese combined with a savory chili. Satisfy both your comfort food cravings in one dish!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Browning the beef and vegetables together in one skillet: Cooking the ground beef, onions, and peppers all at once lets the vegetables pick up rendered fat and browned flavor from the meat as everything cooks, instead of preparing them separately.
- Adding tomatoes and garlic only after the beef browns: Waiting until the meat is cooked and the onions have softened before adding the tomatoes and garlic keeps those ingredients from burning over the direct high heat used earlier in the cook.
- Melting the cheese in stages, not all at once: Adding cheese a handful at a time and letting each addition melt before adding more keeps the sauce smooth, rather than risking a grainy or clumped texture from dumping it all in together.
- Stirring in already-cooked pasta at the very end: Adding the par-cooked macaroni last lets it finish absorbing the sauce over just 5 minutes, keeping the noodles from turning mushy the way starting with raw pasta in the skillet would.
Chili Mac
Tom Jackson
Rated 3.7 stars by 27 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
10
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
256
It's that time of year when we start to think comfort food. Maybe a pot of chili? Perhaps some creamy mac and cheese? How about both at the same time? Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for Chili Mac!
Ingredients
-
1 lb Creekstone Farms Brisket Blend Ground Beef Burger Pucks
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup poblano, diced
- 1/2 cup jalapeño, diced
-
1 tbsp Killer Hogs Texas Brisket Rub
-
1 1/2 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
-
1 1/2 cup Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup canned beans (kidney, pinto, black), drained, rinsed
- 8 oz macaroni, cooked al dente
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz sharp cheddar, grated
- 8 oz American cheese, diced
-
Heat Maverick’s Anti Gravity Hot Sauce
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 450ºF, set up for direct grilling. Place a Finex 12” Cast Iron Skillet on the grill to preheat.
- With the skillet positioned directly over the flame, add the Creekstone Farms Brisket Blend Ground Beef Burger Pucks to the hot skillet, and break up with a wooden spoon. Also add the onions and peppers to the skillet. Season with 1 tbsp Killer Hogs Texas Brisket Rub, 1 1/2 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning and 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika. Stir, then close the lid on the grill.
- When the beef is browned and onions start to soften and turn translucent. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes with the wooden spoon. Cook for about one minute, then stir in the beans.
- Add the heavy cream to the skillet and bring to a simmer.
Add the cheeses a handful at a time, stirring to melt the cheese before making the next addition. Continue this until all cheese is melted.
- Add the par-cooked macaroni noodles to the skillet and carefully stir to coat the noodles. Simmer for about 5 minutes until most of the standing liquid is soaked into the pasta.
- Remove from the grill and serve with your favorite toppings (crumbled Mexican cheeses, fresh chives, hot sauce, etc.).
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why cook the ground beef, onions, and peppers together instead of separately?
Browning them all in one skillet lets the vegetables pick up rendered fat and browned flavor from the meat as everything cooks together, rather than preparing components in isolation and combining them later.
Why add the tomatoes and garlic only after the beef browns and onions soften?
Waiting until the meat and onions are further along keeps the tomatoes and garlic from burning over the direct high heat used for the initial browning stage.
Why melt the cheese in stages instead of adding it all at once?
Adding cheese a handful at a time and letting each addition melt before adding more keeps the sauce smooth, instead of risking a grainy or clumped texture from dumping it all in together.
Why stir in already-cooked pasta at the end instead of cooking it directly in the skillet?
Adding par-cooked macaroni last lets it finish absorbing the sauce over just 5 minutes, keeping the noodles from turning mushy the way starting with raw pasta in the sauce could.
What internal temperature should the ground beef actually reach?
This recipe only says to cook "until browned," without stating a target temperature. Ground beef needs to reach a minimum internal temperature of 160°F to be safe — check with an instant-read thermometer rather than judging by color alone.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
5 out of 5 — this comes together entirely in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop; the pellet grill is only being used as an outdoor heat source, not for smoke or char.
Recipe Highlights
One-skillet browning: Builds shared flavor between the beef and vegetables.
Staged tomato addition: Prevents burning over high initial heat.
Gradual cheese melt: Keeps the sauce smooth instead of grainy.
Late-added pasta: Avoids overcooking the noodles in the sauce.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 7.26 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 256
- Carbs
- 22 grams
- Protein
- 16 grams
- Fat
- 11 grams
- Sodium
- 360 milligrams
