Vegetarian Chili Mac

Vegetarian Chili Mac may sound like a winter dish, but is a favorite year-round! Full of chili flavors and the comfort of pasta, not to mention only whole ingredients! A healthy dish your whole family will love! 

chili mac in a pot next to a can of bushs beans

As colder weather creeps in, we are all looking for those warming recipes like soups, stews, and chili. With my love for pasta, I had to figure out a way to combine with something! My creation turned into a Chili Mac, only using the best beans.

I highly recommend BUSH’S Beans for this dish because of the added flavors! The kidney beans are in a spicy chili sauce, while the black beans are in a mild chili sauce. This is perfect because all of the flavors pair nicely, and are jammed packed with Southwestern flavor! Perfect for chili recipes!

By the way, for just a ½ serving you will add protein and fiber without gluten, cholesterol, and fat! BUSH’S has also added spices to their chili beans, meaning it won’t take you a ton of time for your chili mac to take on the great flavor!

can of bushs chili beans next to a bowl of chili mac and a bowl of cheddar cheese

You will have people thinking you have been slaving all day! We will just keep that a secret and let them think what they want! 😉

Just a little note, these beans fly off the shelves in the cold season, so if you can’t find these specific flavors of BUSH’S Chili Beans, you can definitely swap for other BUSH’S Chili Beans, such as the Pinto Beans in a Mild Chili Sauce.

Ingredients for Vegetarian Chili Mac

Olive oil

Yellow onion, diced

Garlic Cloves – as always feel free to use minced garlic or garlic powder if you aren’t a fan of cloves

Flour

Chili powder

Fire-roasted tomatoes – be sure these are fire-roasted, the flavor is absolutely amazing!

BUSH’S Kidney Beans in Spicy Chili Sauce and BUSH’S Black Bean in Mild Chili Sauce – Don’t forget, since we want to keep all of those flavors we were talking about earlier, don’t drain these!

Corn – Use frozen so they don’t get all soggy

Water

Macaroni noodles – for added protein, try chickpea pasta! It’s SO good!

Cheese – Sharp cheddar is my favorite when it comes to chili dishes

vegetarian mac with black beans in a pot with a spoon

How To Make 

  1. In a large pot, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until they are soft. Then add your flour and chili powder. 
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir then add in your uncooked pasta. Now cover the pot and bring to a boil while stirring the pasta so it doesn’t stick. 
  3. After it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer. Remember to stir often! 
  4. Once your pasta is soft, add your cheese and serve! 
chili mac in a white bowl topped with greek yogurt and cheese next to spoons

Can You Freeze Chili Mac? 

I have not frozen any, but if you do want to try you will want to be sure not to cook the pasta too long. It will get softer after it freezes and reheats again. 

Another option would be to make the sauce and freeze. Then when you are ready to eat it cook the pasta then and follow the remaining instructions. 

top view of vegetarian chili mac in a pot with a spoon in it next to a can of bushs chili beans

This one-pot Vegetarian Chili Mac is a family favorite and can be served year-round! Also, an easy potluck meal that can be doubled if needed for a crowd! 

I’m dying to know what you’ll think and can’t wait to see you cooking! Tag me or send me a DM on Instagram

vegetarian chili mac next to a bowl of cheese

PIN ME FOR LATER!

Other Chili Recipes You Will Like: 

More of My Favorite Comfort Food: 

vegetarian mac with black beans in a pot with a spoon

Vegetarian Chili Mac

Vegetarian Chili Mac may sound like a winter dish, but is a favorite year round! Full of chili flavors and the comfort of pasta, not to mention only whole ingredients! A healthy dish your whole family will love!
5 from 14 votes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
  • ½ cup yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz. can BUSH’s Chili Kidney Beans
  • 1 15 oz. can BUSH’s Chili Black Beans
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 6 oz water
  • 1 cup uncooked macaroni noodles
  • 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until the onions are transparent.
  • Add chili powder and flour to the sautéed onions and garlic. Continue to stir and sauté for two minutes.
  • Add the fire roasted diced tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, corn, and water to the pot. Stir to combine and to dissolve any flour and chili powder off the bottom of the pot.
  • Add the uncooked macaroni noodles and stir to combine.
  • Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium high, and let the pot come up to a boil. Stir every other minute or so to loosen the noodles from the bottom of the pot.
  • When the pot reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, so it continues to gently simmer. Let the pot simmer (with the lid still on) for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the liquid is thick. Stir frequently as it simmers to make sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
  • Once the pasta is tender, add the shredded cheddar and stir it in until melted. Serve hot.

Notes

If you can’t find Bush’s Kidney or Black Beans, you can substitute any of their other beans for the same great taste!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We are trying to incorporate more Vegetarian options into our weekly rotation. This smells amazing and I’ll follow-up once it’s done!

  2. 5 stars
    This was a huge hit at my house! It came together very quickly and it was delicious! My husband and 2 kids devoured it. Plus we had some leftover for lunch 🙂 Thank you for creating this simple, healthy meal.

  3. 5 stars
    Super quick, easy and yummy! In order to use a full pound of pasta, I doubled the recipe but 4x the pasta, water and chili powder and it turned out perfect!!

  4. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! It is easy, and just what is needed for a warm cozy dinner on a cold day. It is a new staple in our home!

  5. 5 stars
    This is delightful. I didn’t miss the meat at all, and I like to do meatless meals every now and then. Also – thank you for introducing me to the fire roasted tomatoes. Those are a game changer! Two thumbs up for this recipe

5 from 14 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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