Name: Slow Cooker Chili Mac
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 h
Total time: 5 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean); 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 medium green pepper, chopped; 1 banana pepper, finely chopped; 2 cans (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained; 2 cans (15 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained; 2-1/2 teaspoons chili powder; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon paprika; 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni; 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Print the Recipe

This easy slow cooker chili mac is a family friendly meal that everyone will devour. It’s a great recipe to make at the beginning of the week for leftovers!

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Pin showing the finished slow cooker chili Mac ready to serve with title across the middle.

There’s nothing quite like chili mac when it comes to indulgent family dinner recipes. This one is always on our meal plans during the cooler months especially! It’s a cheesy, meaty, pasta dish that combines our love of hearty meals with the fresh zesty flavors of chili.

You really can’t go wrong with this one. Crockpot chili mac is a very forgiving recipe so you can add things, take away things you don’t think you’ll like, etc and the recipe will still come out just fine. It’s much like my crock pot cowboy beans!

A bowl of the finished slow cooker chili Mac ready to serve.

We serve ours with toppings so everyone can customize their bowl. I love to put some in portioned out containers for the week as well. This is a nice way to meal prep something that everyone will eat for lunches and quick dinners when we are busy!

Here’s what you’ll need to make slow cooker chili mac:

This recipe has all kinds of hearty, indulgent ingredients that you’ll love. I’ll share what we used for ours but keep in mind you can use whatever kind of ground meat you like, which ever type of cheese, etc.

A close up of the finished chili Mac made in the Crockpot topped with whipped cream ready to eat.

Our recipe uses ground beef, garlic, onions, green peppers, banana peppers or jalapeños depending on the level of spice you want, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder, paprika, cumin, elbow macaroni, and shredded cheddar!

Everything on the list is super easy to find and none of it has really be out of stock even during the winter/pandemic buying craze. You can also substitute other types of pasta if you like. Penne would work, bowties would work, even rotini or something else would be fine!

How to make chili mac in the Crockpot:

In a large skillet or dutch oven, cook beef, onion, garlic and peppers over medium heat until beef is no longer pink. Approx. 8-10 minutes; drain.

Transfer beef to a 6 to 7-qt. slow cooker sprayed with non-stick spray or use a slow cooker liner.

A top down look at a bowl full of the finished recipe ready to eat.

Stir in the tomatoes, beans, chili powder, paprika and cumin. Cook, covered, on low until flavors are blended about 5-6 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the elbow noodles according to package directions; drain. Add to the slow cooker. Stir in cheese until melted. If desired, serve with sour cream, hot sauce and additional cheese.

What kinds of toppings can I put on chili mac?

We use things that we would normally put on chili. So think about sliced jalapeños, more cheese, sour cream or greek yogurt, hot sauce, etc.

If you are particularly sensitive to the acid in chili recipes the sour cream can really help with that! It also takes the spice level down a bit so if you have picky eaters, stir a spoonful in to take the edge off the heat of any peppers you add!

A bowl of the finished recipe in the front with slow cooker in the background.

Looking for more easy dinner recipes?

The Crockpot is so versatile. You can make everything from breakfast to dessert in the slow cooker, dinner is my favorite because it’s one of those meals that I can’t really ditch unless we have a lot of leftovers. The Crockpot makes it easy and does all the work for me.

Try out some of these other slow cooker dinners, like Crockpot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls, Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Wings, Crock Pot Pizza Casserole, Super Easy Nacho Chicken And Rice, Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers, Crockpot Spaghetti, and Slow Cooker Beef Stew.

A spoonful of the finished chili Mac ready to eat.

Printable Slow Cooker Chili Mac Recipe:

Slow Cooker Chili Mac

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes

This easy slow cooker chili mac is a family friendly meal that everyone will devour. It's a great recipe to make at the beginning of the week for leftovers!

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 banana pepper, finely chopped
2 cans (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (15 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a large skillet or dutch oven, cook beef, onion, garlic and peppers over medium heat until beef is no longer pink. Approx. 8-10 minutes; drain.
Transfer beef to a 6 to 7-qt. slow cooker sprayed with non-stick spray or use a slow cooker liner.
Stir in the tomatoes, beans, chili powder, paprika and cumin. Cook, covered, on low until flavors are blended about 5-6 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the elbow noodles according to package directions; drain. Add to the slow cooker. Stir in cheese until melted. If desired, serve with sour cream, hot sauce and additional cheese.