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!
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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.
- 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.
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
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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