Name: Chili Cheese Macaroni Casserole
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces elbow macaroni (cooked al dente); 1 pound ground beef (85/15); 1 15 ounce can black beans (drained and rinsed); 1 4 ounce can green chilies; 2 garlic cloves (minced); 1 small onion (chopped); 1 can tomato sauce; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 2 teaspoons sea salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese; 4 ounces Velveeta (cubed); 2 tablespoons milk; Sour cream (for garnish)

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This Baked Chili Mac Casserole is the ultimate comfort food - made with fresh ground beef, black beans, green chilies, seasoning and an incredibly generous amount of CHEESE for that ultra creamy, cheesy goodness.

This post was originally published in November 2017. It has been updated for photos and content.

My favorite kind of one pot meal. Cheesy, beefy, soul warming baked pasta. Really, does it get any better than this? They boyfriend doesn't think so. This is his new favorite.

Who doesn't love a gooey, cheesy bowl of deliciousness? When I sit down with a bowl of this, it's like everything will be ok. This baked chili mac casserole is the cure for life! LOL. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but you'll never know until you try it.

On top of being so freakin' good, this baked chili mac casserole is just such an easy recipe. SO DAMN EASY. There's just nothing fancy about it.

shrimp and vegetables with sauce in a bowl with a spoon and fresh herbs

**Isn't comfort food the best? Check out this super duper ultra comforting Creamy Coconut Thai Green Curry Shrimp and Grits**

Jump to:

The Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
Recipe
💬 Comments

The Ingredients

All super easy to find ingredients. You can even buy most of them through the below Amazon links (affiliate links - I earn a tiny commission if you buy through these links to help pay for all the failed recipes!):

I'm in love with black beans, so I use them in a lot of recipe calling for beans. You can substitute pinto beans in this recipe if you prefer. The results will still be wonderful.

I'm all about the grated sharp cheddar and of course, Velveeta. The Velveeta adds the creaminess, while the grated cheddar gives that gooey cheese effect. While I prefer cheddar, you can also substitute monterrey jack, pepper jack, swiss, or any other cheese you like. If you use a different cheese, I totally want to know how it turned out!

For the ground beef, I recommend going with 85/15 ground sirloin. That gives us the rich, beefy flavor we want for this dish, without an excess of fat. I don't like to use the really lean beef and I feel it doesn't have quite as much flavor. If you prefer a lean beef though, you are more than welcome to substitute. Ground turkey or chicken can also be used as a substitute.

The sour cream in this recipe is optional, but I HIGHLY recommend garnishing your baked chili mac with it. It adds that perfect extra bit of tang that pulls the whole dish together.

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Step By Step Instructions

Like I said, this chili mac is incredibly easy to make. You can have it in the oven in about 10 minutes. Then it's about 20 minutes to bake into cheesy goodness, and you've got a meal in about 30 minutes. A damn good meal.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

First, cook and drain the pasta. Then place it in a 9 x 13" baking dish and set it aside while we cook the cheesy chili.

step by step instructions for making baked chili mac

Once you've got your sauce, you're almost done. Pour the chili over the cooked macaroni and stir well to coat all the pasta.

Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes until it is all bubbly and the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Remove from heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Serve it with extra grated cheese, sliced green green onions and sour cream. The sour cream is my favorite part guys. While these are all optional, I HIGHLY recommend the sour cream.