Crock Pot Cheddar Chili Mac
This post may contain paid links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
Oh my word folks! This Crock Pot Cheddar Chili Mac recipe is super simple to make, cooks quickly and is incredibly delicious! You are going to love it!
Note: We use referral links for the products we love.
How to Make Cheddar Chili Mac in a Crock Pot
Aunt Lou here.
We love chili around here. You can find all of our chili recipes here. So, when I looking around my cabinets for something to make the other day, I found the ingredients for this Crock Pot Cheddar Chili Mac and decided to give it a try. My family and I are sure glad I did! It is super yummy! I bet you will be glad too once you have tried it!
This recipe is so easy to throw together. And yes, your ingredients are cooked before you put them in the crock pot (well, mostly…your macaroni is cooked al dente). So, if you are wondering why bother with the crock pot at all, let me tell you! The time in the crock pot finishes cooking up the noodles and gives all the flavors time to meld together to give you the amazing deliciousness of the final dish.
Regarding the timing on cooking. As always, it depends on your unit. If you are cooking on high and have a unit that cooks hot, it will be done in around an hour. If you have a unit that doesn’t get completely hot until around the one hour mark, even on high, it is going to take closer to an hour and a half. This is why we always say to watch your recipe closely the first time you make it. If you watch it closely, you will learn the exact timing for your specific crock pot.
What You Will Need
Ingredients Needed
- 1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
- 1 cup uncooked macaroni, cooked al dente
- 15 oz can mild chili beans, undrained
- 10.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
- 1.5 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Equipment Needed
- Skillet
- Colander or strainer (I love my on pot strainer)
- Medium pot
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoon
- Wooden spoon or stirring spatula
- 4 quart slow cooker
Time Needed
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cooking Time: 2 hours on low or 1 to 1.5 hours on high, turning your insert halfway through your cooking
General Notes
- Looking for more recipes? Our Recipe Finder can help you find exactly what you need.
- As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline. Recipes should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Crock Pot Cheddar Chili Mac
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef browned and drained
- 1 cup uncooked macaroni cooked al dente
- 15 oz can mild chili beans undrained
- 10.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles drained
- 1.5 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Mix together all your ingredients, except your shredded cheddar cheese, in a 4 quart slow cooker until well combined
- Sprinkle your cheese evenly across the top
- Cover and cook on low for 2 hours or high for 1-1.5 hours, turning your insert halfway through if your slow cooker does not cook evenly
Notes
- Looking for more recipes? Our Recipe Finder can help you find exactly what you need.
- Check out all our favorite recommendations for cookbooks, slow cookers and low carb essentials in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline. Recipes should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Nutrition
Need Dinner Ideas?
Our 10 Must Have Ground Beef Recipes are a great way to use Make Ahead Ground Beef to make dinner a snap! We now have this tried and true recipe Ground Beef Collection available in an all in one digital download!
- Crock Pot Chili Mac Casserole
- Low Carb Crock Pot Chili Dog Casserole
- Crock Pot Chili Cheese Tater Tot Casserole
- Saucy Crock Pot Chicken and Rice for Two - February 5, 2026
- Crock Pot Cheesy Potato Soup for Two - January 22, 2026
- Crock Pot Taco Hash Browns for Two - January 21, 2026
Ok
Uncooked or cooked macaroni? You’re contradicting yourself the recipe
Hi Missy!
The measurement is done before the macaroni is uncooked. Then you cook the macaroni until it is al dente and drain. Hope that clears up any confusion and you enjoy this as much as we do!
Aunt Lou
Love this recipe! I’ve made it a ton of times!
Kid approved 😋
Just wondering, is there a way to put all these in the crockpot and have it all cook together? And/ or increase the cook time so I can do it in the morning and have it ready by dinner?
I’m so glad you and your kiddos love this recipe! I’m not sure how to make this an all day recipe. Even if you put the macaroni in uncooked, I’m afraid they would be mush being in the crock pot that long. I will put this recipe on my list of recipe to convert to an oven or stove top recipe and come back to let you know when it is up.
I make this dish (with a few different ingredients from another recipe) and everything but the cheese and pasta can go into the Crock Pot for 7-8 hours. Definitely brown the beef first to melt off & drain the fat but otherwise, throw it all into the pot and let it do it’s thing on low heat! I add in the macaroni the last 30-35 mins of cooking time and then the cheese the last 6-7 minutes.
Do I cook macaroni before adding.
Hi Judy!
Yes, you will measure the macaroni when it is dry, cook it until it is al dente and drain. Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
I haven’t made this yet but I am going to try it cause it sounds good. I have a question for you. I don’t like the taste of those beans and most beans are the magical fruit on me. Could I add the small navy beans which I do like and don’t bother me so much or just leave them out? I want to try this!
We always encourage our readers to make our recipes their own. Either the navy beans or just leaving the beans out will change the recipe’s flavor, but maybe you will like it! If you give either option a try, let me know how it goes.
Family loved it. Husband says it’s a keeper!
I enjoyed this! I tweaked it a bit – doubled pasta and probably tripled the cheese when all was said and done. It made for a total comfort food hit in our house.
I can’t leave a rating yet, because I haven’t tried it, but my friend and I have game nights where trade off recipes in what we call our crockery game nights. I just finished combining it all, and I’ll be cooking it rather soon. I’m looking forward to eating this, and I think I may add a couple extra little things to it, kind of like when I seasoned the meat, I added some minced garlic, onion powder, and a honey garlic rub. We are all looking forward to eating this tonight! It already smells so great!
I never write reviews or rate things. But say, I feel like I need to. Perhaps it was chef error or my lack of improvisation, but I didn’t like this recipe at all. I’m not sure why I had more of a creamy mac and cheese idea in my mind, but this was no where near that.
I felt like it was very bland and could use way more flavor. As I mentioned above, I’m not great with just knowing what to add in, so I’m sure there are a lot of opportunities that I missed. It was also confusing my tastebuds and my brain was on sensory overload trying to comprehend all of the odd combinations of flavors and textures in one bite.
I have no doubt that it would be a totally awesome meal if I had more creativity in the kitchen. I really am sorry for ruining the positive vibes for this recipe…I just needed to write my thoughts down and see if I could get some suggestions back on how to personalize it, in return.
Hi Shannon!
Sorry you did not enjoy this recipe, but we realize that with over 2,000 recipes that every recipe isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. From what you said, I think you might like this recipe better: https://www.recipesthatcrock.com/crock-pot-cheesy-beefy-mac-casserole/. It is a creamy mac ‘n cheese recipe, has fewer textures and does not have as many flavors blending together. If you give it a try, I hope you enjoy it.
Aunt Lou
This recipe was so good and easy! I did a slight tweak to make it dairy free with the cheese. I also added onion to the ground beef and cooked the noodles in chicken broth. I took about 1/2 cup chicken broth and put it in the crock pot. Big hit in my house!
Any recommendations if I simply don’t use beans at all? Picky eaters over here. Lol.
I haven’t tried this without the beans in it. However, I do understand trying to accommodate picky eaters. So, let’s see if we can figure this out. Since the beans are undrained, you will need some liquid to replace that liquid. From a quick google search, I found that there is approximately 3/4 cup of liquid in a 15 oz can of beans. So, I would try adding 3/4 cup of beef broth or water to make up for the bean liquid. I was not able to find out amounts of chili seasoning in a can of beans, so you may have to play around with how much to add. I would start with a little, stir it in and add more gradually, if needed. (I always go by the rule, “You can always add more, but you can’t take it out once it is added,” when adding seasonings.) I hope this helps. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Is there a way to make this pressure cooker freindly instead of crockpot?
I haven’t tried this in an electric pressure cooker yet, but I will add it to my list of recipes to try. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
I made it tonight in my pressure cooker. I browned the hamburger, added some diced onion and added the uncooked macaroni. Then poured the undrained tomatoes over the noodles, topped with chili beans. I set my cooker to 20 minutes (a guess really) but it turned out perfect. The noodles were perfectly tender.
This will be a new favorite in our rotation of recipes.
I like my chili saucy. Could I add a small can of tomato sauce ? Seems like not enough liquid to finish cooking the noodles
I haven’t tried this with adding in extra tomato sauce but think it might work. We always encourage our readers to adjust recipes to their preferences. If you give it a try, let me now how it goes!
This is my favorite chili EVER!!!!
Wow! Made it as instructed except I used turkey and a couple of splashes of Tabasco. I went through my first batch quickly and am now making it again. Easy, affordable and delicious, this recipe checked-off each of my requirements. Thanx a bunch.
Great job making this your own! Your adjustments sound yummy. I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for letting us know. We love hearing when our readers like a recipe we have posted.
Hi! Quick question! It states to have UNCOOKED noodles and then states right after AL DENTE. So are the noodles Al dente or uncooked?
Hi Deb!
It is 1 cup of uncooked macaroni (so you measure it before it is cooked), but it will need to be cooked al dente before adding it to the recipe. Hope this helps!
Aunt Lou
Hey there! Can I substitute the ground beef with Turkey instead? Or will it change the taste and final outcome of the dish?
I haven’t tried using ground turkey in this recipe, but think it could work. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Aunt Lou
Mine came out a bit dry. I’d add 1/4 cup broth next time.
We are all for our readers adjusting the recipes to their preferences. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Aunt Lou
Do u cook the macaroni first then mix all ingredients together and put in crockpot or put in there uncooked?
You will take 1 cup of uncooked macaroni and cook them al dente before adding them to the crock pot. Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
I really like how your web site is laid out, with little or no clutter. As to saving recipes, I use “Copy me that.”
Hello from Lexington, North Carolina!💗 This looks yummy Aunt Lou!! I do like a little heat so I’ll probably fix as instructed and taste. If it needs more heat, I’ll add a little Texas Pete😍 Thank You!!
Sounds like the perfect plan Kim! You are going to love this one. It is so yummy!
Hey! I want try this recipe, but I don’t like chili/kidney beans…Can I use pintos? Drained or no? Thx, Susan
Hi Susan!
I haven’t tried this with pinto beans, but think it could work if that is your preference. I would not drain them to keep the consistency the same. You might want to add a little more chili powder since there won’t be chili seasonings in your beans. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Aunt Lou
Hi Lou! The recipe calls for mild chili beans, but could I use hot chili beans? I normally prefer hot and spicy foods, but I see that chili powder is also an ingredient, so would it make it too hot if I use hot chili beans?
Hi Lisa!
I am a wuss when it comes to spicy foods, so I used mild. The chili powder is not overwhelming at all. I think if you like spicy foods, then hot chili beans could work. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Aunt Lou