• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

RecipeTeacher

Follow on social media!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Home
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Dinner Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • About

Instant Pot Easy Chili Mac

January 22, 2019 by RecipeTeacher 15 Comments

Making pasta dishes in the Instant Pot is so darned easy and convenient. And this recipe for Instant Pot chili mac is perfect for a quick, easy weeknight meal. With under 5 minutes prep, just one pot, and no veggies to cut up, it’s perfect for feeding a hungry crowd on short notice.
Instant Pot chili mac recipe

You’ve probably read again and again how easy the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker is for making any number of recipes, which is so true. And i’ll be the first to admit, i’m often good and dreaming up elaborate meal plans early in the day, but when work is over and i’m hungry, and the kids are hungry, I just want something quick and fast. That’s when the Instant Pot becomes my best friend!

Easy cleanup – one pot only!

While I love to make pasta dishes, sometimes the thought of using a large pot to boil the pasta, then a colander to drain, then another pan to brown the meat, by the time i’m done cooking i’ve got a sink loaded with dishes to clean. But with the Instant Pot, all the magic happens in one place. With the saute mode we brown the meat, then the pressure cook mode does the rest. No draining, no extra pots or pans – all in one pot!

Instant Pot Chili Mac Recipe

Just a few simple ingredients

This chili mac recipe is perfect because it’s full of delicious flavors and uses just a few simple ingredients. We start with 1 lb of 85% lean ground beef. I really like 85% lean beef for pressure cooking. It always provides the most flavorful and tender results. With the Instant Pot on saute mode, be brown the beef, which takes about 5 minutes or so. After the meat is browned, we drain the fat and it’s time to layer on the rest of the ingredients – not stir anything together. This is important! We sprinkle our seasonings right on top of the beef. Next we add the macaroni, then 3 1/2 cups of water. Once the water is added, we can push down the macaroni to make sure it’s all submerged with some room to spare. Next, we dump a can of tomato sauce and a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies right on top. Again, no stirring. We then secure the lid, set the vent to sealing, and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. When the 4 minutes are up we do a quick release of the pressure.

Sauce will thicken and then add cheese

When we remove the lid, we use a large spoon and stir everything really well for about a minute. At this point the liquids will begin to thicken. We then add 1 cup of shredded colby jack cheese and stir some more and we’re ready to serve!
Instant Pot chili mac

Print
Instant Pot chili mac recipe

Instant Pot Easy Chili Mac

★★★★★ 4.7 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Jason N
  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Cook Time: 4 min
  • Total Time: 25 min (total time with pressure cooker)
  • Yield: 4-6 servings
  • Category: Instant Pot
  • Method: Pressure cooker
  • Cuisine: American
Print
Pin

Description

A delicious, full flavor chili mac that is easy to make and perfect for a weeknight meal for the whole family.


Ingredients

  • 1 lb. ground beef (85% lean)
  • 2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
  • 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
  • 8oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
  • 3 1/2 cups water

Instructions

  1. Set Instant Pot to saute mode and add ground beef and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir often until all the beef is browned. Should take about 5 minutes. Press cancel and drain fat.
  2. Sprinkle chili powder, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt on top of the browned meat. Then add macaroni on top (don’t stir). Add 3 1/2 cups water and make sure all macaroni is submerged. Add cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes right on top in the center. Do not stir!
  3. Secure lid, make sure vent is set to sealing and pressure cook (“manual” on some Instant Pots) on high for 4 minutes. When timer is complete, quick release the pressure.
  4. Remove lid and stir contents well. Everything will begin to thicken. Add 1 cup of shredded colby jack cheese and stir it in so it melts into the sauce.
  5. Serve with additional shredded cheese on top and enjoy!

Recipe for Instant Pot Chili Mac

Related

Filed Under: Instant Pot Recipes, Pasta Recipes

Previous Post: « Best Damn Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Next Post: Best Damn Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tracy

    November 18, 2019 at 1:02 pm

    awesome quick tasty recipe 😁

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Kyra Peacock

    October 16, 2019 at 1:09 pm

    Super easy to follow and tastes great!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Maroe

    September 29, 2019 at 3:01 pm

    AWESOME! My husband sounds just as pleased as yours on the video! Recipes a KEEPER! Thank you so much for sharing! DELISH!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Sherrill Ferrera

    September 28, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    I made this in a regular pot and the same time as lid fit tight! It turned out soooo good! However I could use more cumin and chili powder! You can season as you like! Very easy and a nice recipe for our working people.

    Reply
  5. John

    May 18, 2019 at 2:52 pm

    If you double the recipe do you change the pressure cooking time?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • RecipeTeacher

      May 18, 2019 at 2:53 pm

      Hi john. No. Keep the cooking time the same.

      Reply
  6. Marty

    April 28, 2019 at 6:50 pm

    I do not have an instant pot. I used a dutch oven on the stovetop and followed the directions as given (mostly) I actually browned lean ground beef with some chopped onion & peppers. I used only 2 cups of pasta & 2 1/2 cups of water. Everything else was the same. It took just a little longer for the pasta to cook. Total time was only incteased by 10 or 15 minutes. Just one pot used.

    ★★★

    Reply
  7. Marcia

    April 19, 2019 at 7:27 pm

    U would think u wouldn’t add as much water if u were using any other cooking method if ur cooking the noodles separate

    Reply
  8. Tena

    April 19, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    This was quick, super easy and delicious! It goes on my favorite board.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • RecipeTeacher

      April 19, 2019 at 8:33 pm

      Awesome, Tena! Thanks for the feedback!

      Reply
  9. Tracey

    April 18, 2019 at 3:13 pm

    I don’t have an instant pot. How do I modify
    this to make on the stovetop or in the oven?
    I guess just cook everything separately
    and mix together? That takes the easy part
    of it away…LOL!

    Reply
    • RecipeTeacher

      April 18, 2019 at 3:27 pm

      Hi Tracey… you are correct, you’d need to do it in 3 steps. Brown the meat in a skillet first, then in a large heavy pot on the stovetop, add the tomatoes, water spices and cooked beef, and cook over low heat and let simmer for about an hour. Then cook the macaroni separately and add at the end. Then stir in the cheese and enjoy!

      Reply
  10. Tia

    April 18, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    If I wanted to do this in a slow cooker what would be the time frame for that?

    Reply
    • RecipeTeacher

      April 18, 2019 at 3:24 pm

      Hi Tia. So to make this with a slow cooker, you’d actually need to make the ground beef in a skillet on the stove first, then add it to a slow cooker with all the other ingredients, except for the macaroni or the cheese. So add the seasonings, water, tomatoes, cooked ground beef to the slow cooker for 4 hours on high, 6 on low. Then at the end add the COOKED macaroni (cook separately), then add the shredded cheese.

      Reply
  11. John

    March 10, 2019 at 5:39 pm

    Amazing meal so fast only thing different I did was add mushrooms

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

About Me

About

How many times have you wondered “How do I make (whatever recipe)”, only to find there are tons of posts online with ...

Read More



Our Most Popular Recipes

  • Instant Pot pressure cooker pork tenderloin recipe Best Damn Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
  • recipe for air fryer pork chops Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Chops
  • Instant Pot pork chops recipe Best Damn Instant Pot Boneless Pork Chops
  • Instant Pot pulled pork recipe Best Damn Instant Pot Pulled Pork
  • French toast recipe Best Damn French Toast Recipe
  • Instant Pot made egg bites. Filled with gouda cheese, fresh spinach and roasted red peppers. Best Damn Instant Pot Egg Bites
  • Oven baked pork chop Oven Baked Bone-In Pork Chops

Footer

Disclosure:

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

All contents are copyright © 2018 by recipeteacher.com. No images or recipes may be used without expressed written consent.

Privacy Policy

Website Disclaimer


Notice: genesis_footer_creds_text is deprecated since version 3.1.0! Use genesis_pre_get_option_footer_text instead. This filter is no longer supported. You can now modify your footer text using the Theme Settings. in /var/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 4841

Copyright © 2019 RecipeTeacher on the Foodie Pro Theme