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This is a Meatless Chili Mac recipe that is an amazing and easy dinner recipe that can be made in one pot in the slow cooker, with dry pasta, and a combination of tomatoes, beans, and seasoning you can find in the pantry to make a delicious pasta recipe.
Enjoy this easy dump and go recipe before you go on with your day, and enjoy the chili flavors filling your house while this ultimate comfort food recipe is cooked easily in the slow cooker.
Once the slow cooker vegetarian chili mac is done, serve it up in your favorite bowls with tortilla chips, and top with some sour cream for an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will enjoy.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
I love that I can use only a handful of ingredients from the pantry to make a hearty dinner recipe easily in the slow cooker without having to do much prep work outside of opening cans and rinsing the beans in a strainer. Plus the slow cooker will do all the rest of the work.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Meatless Chili Mac:
- Onion: I use either diced yellow onion or white onion
- Beans: Use a combination of drained kidney beans and chili beans
- Tomato: Add in petite diced tomatoes, I will also get the flavored tomatoes if I grab them specifically for this chili recipe, and then fire-roasted diced tomatoes for a little extra heat
- Paste: Tomato paste is a great way to thicken up the tomato sauce in this great recipe
- Broth: To keep this a vegetarian dish, use vegetable broth to get the right consistency for this hearty vegetarian chili
- Seasoning: Be sure to have fresh garlic minced, chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper added for optional heat
- Pasta: I like to use uncooked elbow macaroni for this slow cooker reicpe
- Cheese: Adding shredded cheddar cheese might be the best part, especially if you love cheese
How to Make Meatless Chili Mac:
Combine ingredients:
- In a medium slow cooker, add garlic, onion, kidney beans, chili beans, diced tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
- Mix everything together with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Slow cook:
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 2 to 2½ hours.
- Cook until the mixture is bubbling and the onions are tender, stirring occasionally.
Add pasta:
- Stir in the uncooked elbow noodles.
- Continue cooking on high for 15 to 40 minutes, checking frequently to avoid overcooked noodles.
Add cheese:
- Once the noodles are al dente, stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted and creamy.
Serve:
- Spoon into bowls and garnish with additional cheese or fresh parsley, if desired.
Meatless Chili Mac (Slow Cooker)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
- 15 oz can chili beans, undrained
- 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 15 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, optional for heat
- 1/2 lb elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 2½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Combine ingredients:
- In a medium slow cooker, add garlic, onion, kidney beans, chili beans, diced tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
- Mix everything together with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Slow cook:
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 2 to 2½ hours.
- Cook until the mixture is bubbling and the onions are tender, stirring occasionally.
Add pasta:
- Stir in the uncooked elbow noodles.
- Continue cooking on high for 15 to 40 minutes, checking frequently to avoid overcooked noodles.
Add cheese:
- Once the noodles are al dente, stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted and creamy.
Serve:
- Spoon into bowls and garnish with additional cheese or fresh parsley, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to store leftover chili dinner:
Fridge: Put the leftover chili in an airtight container once it has cooled down to room temperature and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tips and tricks for making chili mac:
Add more protein:
If you want to add more protein to this dish, there are a few ways. To keep this a vegetarian chili mac recipe, you can always add in extra cans of beans. Great Northern beans, pinto beans, black beans, and chickpeas are hearty beans that would taste great in this one pot vegetarian chili mac.
You can also lean into the plant-based protein with elbow pasta that has protein in it. There are vegetable protein or chickpea pasta options that would go great in this recipe.
If you don’t need to keep this easy recipe vegetarian, you can always add cooked ground beef or chicken to the veggie chili.
Cooked or uncooked pasta?
When you make this recipe in the slow cooker, you will use uncooked pasta, adding it to the cooking liquid and giving it enough time to become tender.
More vegetables to add:
- Chopped red bell pepper
- Chopped carrots
- Chopped zucchini
The best slow cooker recipes:
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Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pork Chops
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Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches
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Cuban Pork Slow Cooker
Quick links for making dinner easy:
- Family meal plans
- Tools for the kitchen and more
- The best cookbook for family dinner recipes
- FREE budget meal plan
- Cooking videos to watch
If you give these recipes a try, make sure to tag us on Instagram @julia.pacheco.cooking and let us know how much you liked the recipes!
