By Becky Hardin
Published Feb 27, 2018
Instant Pot Chili Mac will be your new go-to favorite comfort food! This amazing Chili Mac Recipe is loaded with beef, cheese, beans, tomatoes, and so much more. Kids and adults alike will be back for seconds. We love to top our pressure cooker chili mac with fritos, sour cream, and lots of cheese. There’s nothing like a bowl of easy Chili Mac and Cheese on a chilly night.
Instant Pot Chili Mac
Chili Mac is a classic comfort food, and making it in an instant pot makes it so easy to make. This pressure cooker chili mac recipe will be your go-to winter comfort meal!
I’ve always loved chili mac in the winter time, because nothing warms you up like a big bowl of chili combined with macaroni and a million delicious toppings. Just that sentence alone makes me feel so FULL of happiness, and that’s what we all need in the dark days of winter.
This pressure cooker chili recipe is topped with lots of cheese, macaroni, frito’s corn chips, and plenty of other good stuff. By far my favorite (and easiest) chili mac recipe.
This Instant Pot Chili Mac checks all the boxes…EASY, quick, comforting, and delicious. It’s my kind of meal, so I hope that it’s yours as well!
Pressure Cooker Chili Mac Recipe
We have been LOVING our Instant Pot and I hope you guys aren’t tired of the new recipes by now! This Instant Pot Chili mac recipe is just our latest favorite.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot (aka a pressure cooker), I do have an awesome Loaded Chili Macaroni and Cheese recipe that’s made on the stove top. It’s very similar, just made a little differently. Whichever way you go, you can’t go wrong. This meal never gets old to us at our house.
If you’re wanting to try out the Instant Pot and aren’t sure which one to get, I recommend the 6 qt for families of 4, or the 8 qt if you’re consistently serving a crowd.
Some of our other pressure cooker favorites include Classic Pot Roast , Honey Baked Ham , Chicken Tortilla Soup , and of course Zuppa Tuscana (I could eat that every dang day).
Loaded Chili Mac Recipe
Our Instant Pot Chili Mac is filled with so many good ingredients like cheese, beef, tomatoes, and more!
Chili Mac Ingredients:
- Ground Beef
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Chicken Stick (low-sodium)
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
- Black Beans
- Red or Kidney Beans
- Elbow Pasta
- Shredded Cheese
- Butter
- Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Whole Milk
- Parsley
Lots of delicious ingredients combined in one (instant) pot. How could you go wrong?
This combination of pressure cooker chili and mac and cheese is the most comforting food I can think of. I can’t wait to make it for easy weeknight dinners and eat it all winter long!
Easy Instant Pot Recipes
Check out our other favorite Instant Pot Recipes including:
- Dill Pickle Potato Salad
- Copycat Zuppa Toscana
- Beef Stew
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chili Verde
- Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
I know you’ll love these comfort food recipes too!
- Cincinnati Chili Recipe
- Baked Mac and Cheese
- World’s Best Chili
- Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
- Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Chicken Mac and Cheese Soup
- Easy 6 Ingredient Chili
- Crockpot Chili Recipe
- Goulash
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy!
Ingredients1x2x3x
- ▢ 2 pounds extra lean ground beef
- ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
- ▢ 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
- ▢ 1 medium sweet yellow onion diced
- ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ▢ 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- ▢ 1 cup water
- ▢ 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- ▢ 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- ▢ 1 16 ounce can black beans, drained
- ▢ 1 16 ounce can red or kidney beans, drained
- ▢ 16 ounces elbow pasta uncooked
- ▢ ½ cup whole milk
- ▢ 4 cups shredded Mexican Cheese Blend cheese
- ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Video
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to “Sauté” and add the ground beef. Cook, stirring often, until beef is crumbled and no longer pink, approximately 5 minutes. Transfer beef to a paper towel-lined plate and carefully drain the fat.
- Heat butter and oil and add the diced onion to the pot. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent (about 3 minutes). Add minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and salt.
- Add the chicken stock and water, while scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pot insert, to deglaze the pan. Turn Instant pot off.
- Add the diced tomatoes with green chilies, diced tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, pasta and browned beef. Stir, being sure the liquid covers pasta.
- Lock the lid in place and close the release valve.
- Set Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook on HIGH and set timer to 4 minutes.
- When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker, and use a quick pressure release. (To reduce splattering, cover the release valve with a lightweight kitchen cloth.)
- When the red valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Stir the mixture.
- Set the pot to “Sauté” and add the milk and 1 cup of cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. Repeat this process until all the cheese has been added. Stir until pasta is tender, approximately 2 more minutes. Add the parsley and stir.
- Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Enjoy!
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Instant Pot Chili Mac Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 pounds extra lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 16 ounce can black beans, drained
- 1 16 ounce can red or kidney beans, drained
- 16 ounces elbow pasta uncooked
- ½ cup whole milk
- 4 cups shredded Mexican Cheese Blend cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to “Sauté” and add the ground beef. Cook, stirring often, until beef is crumbled and no longer pink, approximately 5 minutes. Transfer beef to a paper towel-lined plate and carefully drain the fat.
- Heat butter and oil and add the diced onion to the pot. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent (about 3 minutes). Add minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and salt.
- Add the chicken stock and water, while scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pot insert, to deglaze the pan. Turn Instant pot off.
- Add the diced tomatoes with green chilies, diced tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, pasta and browned beef. Stir, being sure the liquid covers pasta.
- Lock the lid in place and close the release valve.
- Set Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook on HIGH and set timer to 4 minutes.
- When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker, and use a quick pressure release. (To reduce splattering, cover the release valve with a lightweight kitchen cloth.)
- When the red valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Stir the mixture.
- Set the pot to “Sauté” and add the milk and 1 cup of cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. Repeat this process until all the cheese has been added. Stir until pasta is tender, approximately 2 more minutes. Add the parsley and stir.
- Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
By Becky Hardin
Published Jul 12, 2017
This Essential Grocery List is an absolute life saver for my family on the busy weeks. When I started this journey to learn how to cook, I quickly realized that the first step in cooking is having staple ingredients on hand. I want to avoid having to run out to the grocery store every single time I prepare a new recipe. Having a well-stocked pantry has made my life in the kitchen so much simpler, because when it’s time to cook, I have what I need.
Essential Grocery List
It’s so helpful to have a basic grocery list to help me remember which foods to buy at the store. This food shopping list is my go-to!
It’s better to stock up on things like grains, seasonings and spices, baking essentials, oils, condiments, canned and frozen foods, etc. so I can just grab them when I need them. These things have a long shelf life , so I keep them in my kitchen for convenience.
However, I do have to go to the supermarket sometimes, and there’s a way to make that trip easy and hassle-free: I keep a grocery list! If I go in blindly, I’ll leave with things I don’t need, and nothing that actually helps me prepare a good meal.
In the list below, I’ve compiled everything I always have on my stock-up grocery list.
I’ve got you covered! I created an easy grocery list filled with all of the essentials. Plus there’s a free printable version that you can take with you to the grocery store. It has everything you need to stock your pantry, your freezer, and your refrigerator.
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List
What to Buy at the Grocery Store
This is the perfect grocery list filled with all the basics and essentials. It should help get you going if you’re new to cooking, or if you’re just left staring helplessly at an empty pantry and don’t know how to fill it.
When I first started cooking, things could seem overwhelming. I quickly realized that they more prepared I could be, the more confident I felt. If you already have the basics in your kitchen, then you can shop stress-free.
So print out our easy grocery list, stock up your pantry and fridge, and you’ll be cooking in no time!
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Fresh Produce
- Apples
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Avocados
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Lemons/Limes
- Onion
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
GRAINS
- Breadcrumbs
- Pasta
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Sandwich Bread
- Tortillas
MEAT/PROTEIN
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Ground Beef
- Sliced Turkey
- Lunch Meat
DAIRY
- Butter
- Sliced Cheese
- Shredded Cheese
- Milk
- Sour Cream
- Greek Yogurt
BAKING GOODS
- Baking powder
- Baking Soda
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Flour
- Honey
- Vanilla Extract
- Dry Yeast
- Chocolate Chips
- Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Sugar
FREEZER
- Fruit and Berries
- Frozen Veggies (Corn, Peas, Broccoli, etc)
- Juice Concentrate
- Pizza or Other Convenience Meals
- Pie Crust
- Cookie Dough
CANNED/DRIED GOODS
- Chicken stock/broth
- Salsa
- Diced Tomatoes
- Jam/Jelly
- Peanut Butter
- Pasta Sauce
- Beans (Black Beans, Chickpeas, Baked Beans, etc)
- Soups
- Tuna
- Green Chiles
- Canned Veggies
- Coffee or Tea
Get more details on the best non-perishable and pantry foods
CONDIMENTS/SPICES
- Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Cinnamon
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Mayo
- Nutmeg
- Paprika
- Salt (Course Sea Salt and Kosher Salt)
- Soy Sauce
- Steak Sauce
- Hot Sauce/ Buffalo Sauce
- Salad Dressings
OILS/VINEGARS
- Apple cider vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Vegetable/Canola Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- White Vinegar
- Cooking Wine
- White Wine Vinegar
SNACKS
- Crackers
- Nuts
- Quick Oats
- Popcorn
- Tortilla Chips
- Cereal
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Click ☝🏻 for my FREE Grocery List Printable!
I hope this essential grocery list can help you buy what you need and make your home cooking so much easier!
Stock Your Kitchen
Find more ideas for your grocery list, stock up your kitchen, and print more cooking guides and charts to keep handy!
Non-Perishable Foods to Stock Up On
Frozen Vegetables to Stock Up On (and Recipes to Make)
Ultimate List of Cooking Herbs for Your Kitchen
Ultimate List of Cooking Spices for Your Kitchen
Cooking Oil 101: Types of Cooking Oils to Use
26 Types of Pasta and When to Use Them
What Fruits and Vegetables are in Season?
Meat Temperature Chart (Free Printable)
How to Meal Prep (Guide for Beginners)
Basic Cooking Measurements & Kitchen Conversion Chart
