This Instant Pot Chili Mac is the ultimate one-pot comfort food - hearty, cheesy, and packed with flavor. Tender pasta, savory ground beef, beans, and melty cheese come together in a rich chili sauce for a quick and satisfying meal the whole family will love.
It's the perfect easy dinner for busy weeknighs or cozy weekends when you are craving something filling that can be whipped up in under 30 minutes.
"I love this one pot meal! Delicious and quick to make!"
★★★★★- Janet
I never get tired of cooking in my Instant Pot. It keeps cleaning the dishes down to a minimum and cooks everything so fast.
As a child, chili mac and cheese was a staple meal in my mother's home.
It is easy, inexpensive to make, feeds a crowd, and tasty. Recreating my mother's version in the Instant Pot brings back so many memories of my mother making it over the stove in her little kitchen.
I absolutely love it and I hope you will too. Enjoy! Xoxo ~Katie.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
You will need the following ingredients to make this chili mac recipe in the pressure cooker.
- Ground Beef- You can substitute with ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork.
- Garlic- I use fresh ground garlic. You can substitute with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Chopped Celery- You can substitute with ½ teaspoon of celery salt.
- Bell Pepper
- Onion- Yellow or white onion. You can substitute with 1 teaspoon of onion powder.
- Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Seasoned Salt
- Chicken Broth- You can substitute with beef broth or vegetable broth.
- Kidney Beans-Traditionally, my mom used kidney beans for this chili mac recipe. However, if you do not like kidney beans, pinto beans or black beans make a great substitute. If you do not like beans in your chili mac, you can omit the beans all together. It will still taste amazing.
- Tomatoes with Green Chilis- You can substitute with 2 cans of diced tomatoes.
- Tomato Sauce
- Elbow Macaroni- You can substitute with Ziti or Rotoni.
Watch how to make
Steps
Follow these simple steps to make this Instant Pot chili mac recipe.
- Turn on Saute setting. Add ground beef and garlic.
- Brown ground beef and garlic.
- Add in the spices, onions, bell pepper, and celery.
- Cook until vegetables are softened.
- Add the remaining ingredients.
- Cook on the manual High Pressure setting for 4 minutes.
- Quick release. Stir in the cheese... That is it. How easy is that?
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Cooking tips
- When cooking the ground beef, I use this ChopStir Original Ground Meat Chopper, Frozen Juice Concentrate Stirrer, Heat-Resistant Nylon, Made in the USA, Black. It grinds the meat into tiny pieces while cooking.
- There are no hot peppers in this recipe. Therefore, this recipe is not spicy. If you want to make it spicy, add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to spice it up.
Can you freeze It?
Instant pot Chili mac is easy to freeze.
- Seal chili mac and cheese in freezer safe containers, date, and label.
- To reheat, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or quickly in the microwave.
- You can reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or in the microwave.
I like to make a big batch and freeze half for a meal to eat on a busy night that I don't have time to cook.
When you make this Instant Pot Chili Mac, tell me what you think in the comment section! I would love to hear back! My readers will too.
Also post your picture of your Instant Pot dinner on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chili Mac
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 chopped bell pepper
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 table spoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 30 ounces kidney beans (2 cans)
- 20 ounces rotel with green chili (2 cans)
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni uncooked
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Turn on Sauté setting. Brown ground beef and garlic cloves until fully cooked.1 pound lean ground beef, 2 garlic cloves
- Add in chopped bell pepper, chopped celery, chopped onion, chili powder, cumin, and seasoned salt. Cook until all vegetables are softened.½ cup chopped celery, 1 chopped bell pepper, 1 chopped onion, 2 table spoon chili powder, 2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- Add chicken broth, drained kidney beans, tomatoes with chilies, tomato sauce, and macaroni. Stir.2 cups chicken broth, 30 ounces kidney beans, 20 ounces rotel with green chili, 15 ounces tomato sauce, 8 ounces elbow macaroni
- Close and lock lid. Cook on Manual High Pressure for 4 minutes.
- Quick release. Stir the pasta and chili.
- Add in shredded cheddar cheese and stir.2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste. Serve.salt and pepper to taste
Video
Notes
- Cook ground beef and garlic in a dutch oven or stockpot on medium heat.
- Add in chopped bell pepper, chopped celery, chopped onion, chili powder, cumin, and seasoned salt. Cook until all vegetables are softened.
- Add chicken broth, drained kidney beans, tomatoes with chilies, and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in pasta. Cover with a lid and cook 15-20 minutes or until pasta is cooked to tender, stirring occasionally.
- Add in shredded cheddar cheese and stir. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Sheri says
I have made this recipe many times and my family loves it! I often omit the peppers and celery if I don’t have it on hand and it is still terrific!
Busy mom says
What seasoning would you recommend to substitute for cumin?
Katie Crenshaw says
If you do not like Cumin, you can just omit it.
Carlos Haun says
Do you have a version of this recipe for those who do not have an Instant Pot?
Katie Crenshaw says
Hi Carlos. To cook on stovetop, cook ground beef and garlic in a dutch oven or stockpot on medium heat. Add in chopped bell pepper, chopped celery, chopped onion, chili powder, cumin, and seasoned salt. Cook until all vegetables are softened. Add chicken broth, drained kidney beans, tomatoes with chilies, and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer. Stir in pasta. Cover with a lid and cook 15-20 minutes or until pasta is cooked to tender, stirring occasionally. Add in shredded cheddar cheese and stir. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Janet Baxley Hall says
I love this one pot meal! Delicious and quick to make!