Kraft chili mac is an easy dinner recipe made with boxed Kraft Mac and Cheese, ground beef, black beans, Rotel, and a simple blend of chili spices. This cheesy chili mac comes together in about 20 minutes and transforms a box of macaroni and cheese into a hearty, family-friendly dinner.
One of my favorite shortcut cooking tricks is starting with a convenience ingredient and building on it. Boxed mac and cheese already brings the creamy cheese sauce, so all you need are a few pantry staples to turn it into a complete meal. The combination of seasoned beef, black beans, tomatoes, and cheese is classic comfort food with very little effort.
If you're looking for more mac and cheese upgrades, try my Velveeta Taco Mac & Cheese.
Shortcut Notes
- Easy recipe: Starting with boxed Kraft Mac and Cheese cuts down on prep work and ingredients.
- Pantry-friendly: Most of the ingredients are pantry staples or freezer staples that are easy to keep on hand.
- Ready in about 20 minutes: This quick dinner comes together fast, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- Kraft Original Macaroni & Cheese: The base of the recipe.
- Butter: Helps create the creamy cheese sauce.
- Milk: Combines with the cheese packet to make the sauce smooth and creamy.
- Ground beef: Lean ground beef is best.
- Black beans: Add fiber, texture, and help stretch the meal.
- Rotel: A canned blend of diced tomatoes and green chiles that adds flavor and a little heat.
- Seasoning: Chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, black pepper, garlic powder
Substitutions
- Kraft Original Macaroni & Cheese: Use Kraft Thick & Creamy or Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese. Kraft Deluxe or any Velveeta-style mac and cheese won't need the milk or butter added.
- Ground beef: Substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, or plant-based crumbles.
- Black beans: Pinto beans, kidney beans, or chili beans work well. For more flavor, you can use canned chili or homemade chili (then season to taste).
- Rotel: Substitute canned diced tomatoes (drained) and a small can of diced green chiles (drained).
- Seasoning: Taco seasoning can be used in a pinch.
Behind the Recipe
This is exactly the kind of dinner I make when I need something fast and don't feel like making a trip to the grocery store. I almost always have a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese in the pantry, and turning it into chili mac makes it feel like a completely different meal. I came up with this recipe in college (first published in October 2011!).
Drain the Rotel well. Excess liquid can thin the cheese sauce and make the finished dish less creamy. Taste before serving. Chili powder blends vary quite a bit between brands, so you may want to add an extra pinch depending on your preference.
📖 Recipe
Kraft Chili Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 box Kraft Original Flavor Macaroni & Cheese 7.25 oz box
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup milk
- ¾ pound ground beef
- ½ cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel drained
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Prepare the Kraft macaroni and cheese according to package directions using the butter and milk listed above.
- Meanwhile, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until browned. Drain any excess grease.
- In the large skillet, stir in the black beans, drained Rotel, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, black pepper, and garlic powder. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Add the prepared macaroni and cheese and stir until well combined. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for more pantry meal ideas?
Try a few of my quick and easy one-pot family meal staples:
Samantha Jensen says
Great starting point for a boxed Mac n cheese! I sautéed half an onion with the ground (Turkey), only used half a can of Rotel, added loads of spices - garlic powder, paprika, oregano. After all was said and done it was still lacking so I plopped half a brick of cream cheese and now we’re talking!
Kelsey Smith says
I like your style, Samantha.
Kelsey says
I'm almost embarrassed to admit how often I make this. Sometimes I add a little cream cheese for a little extra creaminess.
Kellie W. says
I make this often. Except I use Velveeta shells and cheese sauce and I add a can of sweet corn (drained). Sooo goood!
Kelsey Smith says
That sounds really, really good.