Healthier Chili-Cheese Macaroni

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As y’all know, I’m a huge sucker for any sort of comfort food pasta meal, so I was very excited to make my favorite Chili-Cheese Mac this week!

And y’all, it turned out SO good! It’s a perfect combination of flavorful chili beef + a lower-fat cheddar sauce, all tossed with diced tomatoes, green chiles, + pasta.

As a pasta lover, I thought it was fantastic, and my chili-loving husband also gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up. And with only 350 calories per good-sized dinner portion (+ a great 25 grams of protein), it’s waistline-friendly while still tasting amazing.

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Healthier Chili-Cheese Macaroni

A healthier twist on chili cheese macaroni, combining chili beef with a lower-fat cheddar sauce, diced tomatoes and green chiles, and pasta. It's waistline-friendly while still tasting amazing.

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Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Calories: 350

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 pound ground beef I like to use 80% lean
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 cups fat-free lower-sodium beef broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (mild or spicy, depending on your preference)
• 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni or other short pasta
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 4 1/2 ounces finely shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Method

 

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add beef and next 5 ingredients (onion powder, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, chili powder); cook until beef is no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes. Drain off any fat.
2. Add broth, water, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until macaroni al dente.
3. Heat milk and cream cheese in a separate small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 4 minutes or until cream cheese melts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar until completely melted.
4. Add cheese sauce to macaroni mixture; toss well to coat. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until sauce has thickened slightly. (Don't fear if it looks liquidy at first – it thickens up beautifully!) Serve hot with extra cheese, if desired.

Notes

Let the macaroni sit for 5-10 minutes after adding cheese sauce to allow it to thicken. It may look liquidy at first but thickens up beautifully. Serve hot with extra cheese if desired.