Gramma's Old Fashioned Chili Mac

This dish can be made in one deep frying pan with a lid. Saute the beef with the onions, peppers and celery until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients including the macaroni mix well and cover. Cook until macaroni is done (about 15 minutes) stirring occasionally. The flavors blend better using this method and there's only one pan to wash. A tablespoon of chili powder is nice and not to spicy.

The previous reviewer needs to be a bit less negative and read the explanation of the recipe; it is NOT intended to be like regular chili--I take no responsibility for the name "chili mac"---the recipe is over 50 years old, who knows why they called it that?? That's why I explained in the intro that IT'S NOT SPICY! And, by the way, macaroni is the main ingredient in macaroni and cheese, and, I don't know about you, but I would consider that dish to be pretty all-American...not Italian.

I am not a big fan of Hambuger Helper-type boxed dinners: due to the preservatives and sometimes the quality of boxed/dried foods. This is a little bit sweet, HOMEMADE "hamburger helper" that kids and, everyone that tries it, seems to like a lot. I do not use three pans to make, however. I just re-use the macaroni pot and skip the boiling of the celery and green peppers and just add them to the browned and DRAINED ground meat: and cook til celery is tender. Then finish recipe, as stated. I believe it adds more flavor that way. This is great as a leftover! Thanks for the recipe!

This is absolutely delicious! Because my husband is diabetic, I used a low-carb elbow pasta and substituted 1 tbsp chili powder and 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper for the brown sugar. It was amazing - far better than any boxed concoction out there! What a great family recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!

I only used this recipe because I had a can of tomato soup...but this CANNOT be called chili...there's no chile's, chili powder, cumin....nothing. Tomato soup, tomatoes, and kidney beans doesn't make chili without the spices. I added a cumin, chili powder, garlic, organo, salt & pepper in order to make this even resemble chilimac. This should be changed to hearty tomato stew, or soup even.

WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, I made this just like the recipe,,Thanks so much.. God bless you.

Fried the onions and celery with the ground beef, left out the green peppers (kids don't like them), added 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp chili powder. Not enough to overwhelm the kids, but enough that everyone rated this a six out of five! Thanks for the great recipe.

This is the best, comes out great everytime. Good with ground turkey too.

So Wisconsin! Love it! and so do my Hubby's farmer friends that give it "thumbs up" and come back for more. Thanks Gramma!

This was pretty good. I did not precook my green pepper and onion as we like it a little "fresher". It cooked enough after adding the meat to it. Also added a little chili powder to it, since it is called chili mac. Kids don't like green peppers or onions, so not too kid friendly. All in all, not bad...Maggie

I think something was wrong on the recipe... only 1 cup of macaroni and 2 cans of tomato soup and 2 cans of diced tomatoes... was more like soup.. not a bad taste, but was looking for something heartier

This is a wonderful recipe...Everyone loved it!!!!

I do not know what I did but this soup did not taste so good at first. I followed the recipe to a T and let the peper and celery simmer for an hour. the soup looked good but did not tast that good at first. I ended up adding a can of tomato juice to it and let it sit for a few hours and it tasted better. do not think that I will make again. I was the only one that tried it. after I added the juice and let it sit for a few hours it tasted better but from now on I will stick to the tried and true chili recipe that my family loves.

This is just okay. I was searching for something to make with ground beef and happened to have all the ingredients for this. The only thing I didn't have is a 2nd can of tomato soup, but I can't imagine it would have been that different. Everyone ate it, but it was extremely ordinary and too sweet. Definitely not going to be a family favorite.

Made as written. I thought it has too much tomato soup flavor. My wife did not like the beans.

Was really good my girls loved it, except for the beans, but then again they still ate them, so who knows! Thanks for a wonderful dinner!

my huband really loved this, I thought it was good. The recipe was his request!

Great! Omitted brown sugar and celery, added garlic, a little cumin and chili powder.

It was pretty good.

This is exactly what it says it is, just good old fashioned southern comfort food. I make this super easy, I cook up the macaroni in a tupperware bowl in the microwave as I brown the beef and veggies on the stove, then toss in the tomatoes, soup and beans, heat that through, add the macaroni in, heat everything through and done, one bowl and 1 pot to wash. Doesn't get easier than that.

This was pretty good, made it for SUPERBOWL Sunday using ground reindeer meat (we ground it ourselves). Doubled the recipe and added 3 Tbsp chili powder to give it a chili taste. What I'd really like is the chili Mac recipe of the box of LARGE elbow macaroni, I believe it was Mission brand, but I threw the box out and can't find another like it. Does anyone know the recipe I'm talking about? Can't remember how it differed from this one but I know we really liked it. If anyone finds it, please let me know! Thanks.

Easy, yummy & loaded w/ veggies - perfect!!

This was more of what we call goulash than a traditional chili mac. We really thought it needed a healthy dose of some chili powder, cayenne, crushed red pepper, or other chiles to add a little kick. It was sweet but not overly so and was very filling. We had a nice hearty meal, but it didn't make our favorites although we would eat it again. Thanks.

very good

loved it` loved it `loved it! `its my kids favorite meal now! and a delight to have on these cool fall evenings!!! i will definitely make this from now on!

This was so good!! Even my 6 yr old said it was "awesome". I just sauted my veggies with the gr beef. I was missing the more chili flavor, so just added a few teaspoons. Loved it. Can't wait for my next potluck - I'll be making this!!

Good basic recipe, but too much brown sugar - it was just too sweet. I'd start with a teaspoon and do a taste test before adding more.

I loved it and my toddlers asked for seconds! So easy to make. I added a little more noodle just for preference. My husband wants it a little thicker so next time I think I'll swap the soup for paste.

I knew my boyfriend would like this but wasn't sure if I would since I like spicier chili's (not much of sweet/mild fan). BUT I ended up loving this with my boyfriend!! I only used 1 can tomatoes (undrained), 1 can of tomato soup (it was all I had) but added a soup can of water like others mentioned and added the kideny beans (also undrained). Very good! I ofcourse sprinkled some sharp shredded cheddar cheese to melt over my bowl but my boyfriend raved about this as it was! Thanks Sue! Your mom is a great cook!

Yum! This was a hearty meal. I loved the kidney beans. Great flavor. I will make this again.

This was awesome! I added a small can of chili sauce, some frozen corn and a package of chili mix (seasoning) and left out the sugar, salt and pepper. Will make it many times again.

Just made this, I put some frozen corn in plus some dried basil and hot pepper flakes (we like heat). Turned out very good!

the basic idea for this sounded really good - then I made it. Sauce is nothing more than way too sweet tomato soup. I will not try this again.

I thought this recipe was fantastic! Maybe the people that think this isn't spicy enough for their tastes should read the description of this recipe. (apparently they never bothered) I don't think it was ever meant to be spicy-it's more like a comforting casserole filled with beef, noodles and a slightly sweet tomato sauce. Go ahead and add your cup of chili powder to this if you want to--it will only change up a recipe that doesn't need to be fixed in the first place. This will be a "regular" in our house--JUST the way it is!

This was a very good recipe, however next time I would only put one can of tomatoe soup and half a can of tomatoe paste.It was a little runny,I would also take other peoples advice and add chile spice. i

I omitted the green pepper, only used one can soup(+ 1 soup can water), and added double the amount of pasta, and added 1/2 c. frozen corn. Thought cheddar cheese might help, added that too. All around good dish, more like a hot dish really, but flavor was good. If you add all the liquid it would be way too soupy. Good with a little tweaking, but then again I tweak everything.

I made this in the crock pot(with the pasta) I did cut back on the brown sugar,added garlic(i add it to almost everything,lol),Threw in some red pepper as well,used chili beans(didnt have kidney),and added about 1tbls chili powder and a can of whole kernal corn.I added(boiled it untill it was almost done)the pasta the last 30 minutes or so of cooking.It was very good and very hearty.My kid's loved and both agree it is a keeper.I will be making this again.Thnx :)

Very good simple recipe. My Children actually loved it even with diced tomatoes and green pepper. Would highly recommend this to anyone looking for something easy and different from what you usually make.

GREAT OVERALL RECIPE! HAD TO ALTER IT JUST A SMIDGE... MUST ADD 1 EXTRA CUP OF MAC!! I LIKE MINE MACEYER!! ALSO USE ONLY ONE CAN SOUP AND ONE CAN TOMATOES.... AND UPPED THE BROWN SUGAR TO TASTE!! YUMMY!! LEFT OUT CELERY AND PEPPER AND ADDED ONE CAN CORN!

Definitely not my thing, but my gang loved this. The only extra I added (besides seasonings) was shredded cheddar. You made them happy campers Sue!

That's some yummy comfort food right there : )

I've been looking for recipes that my gandchildren will eat. They liked this one but picked out the beans so I will try to scale it to their liking. Great post. Thank you!!

This is a very good hearty recipe and everyone in my family really liked it. My husband said it was too sweet, so I'll cut down on the brown sugar the next time. We like beans, so I added two cans of UNDRAINED kidney beans, and topped it with Parmesan cheese. It's a "keeper"!

This is a keeper. I omitted the celery (personal taste). i saute onions and pepper first. then add hamburger and brown. Then I add the rest of the ingredients. is just right for kids or those picky chili eaters.

This was ok. I followed the recipe pretty much, but added some tomato sauce for some flavor, along with some chili powder. DH said it was bland. I like my version on the the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen blog much better. Has greens and more spice. Probably wouldn't make this again.

Delicious and filling. I subbed one whole red bell pepper for the 1/2 green one, added 1T of chili powder, and added 1 clove of pressed garlic. I sauted the onions, pepper, celery, & garlic in a bit of olive oil before adding the ground beef, then drained it all and mixed the remaining ingredients (except macaroni)into a crock pot. Set on low for 4 hours wasn't enough time to cook, so I dumped it all in my dutch oven and finished it by letting it simmer uncovered on the top of the stove for another 30 minutes or so while I made the macaroni, set the table, etc. My daughter gobbled it up: a perfect comfort meal after sitting through a day of Frances aftermath! I will try again in the crock pot...perhaps turning it on sooner in the day, or on high. Thanks for sharing!

Met with great approval by the family, even the picky 8 year old who did NOT eat around the vegetables. Victory!

great basic recipe. I did do a few changes... used diced tomatoes with chilis, also added chili seasoning for a little added flavor. I agree with a previous reviewer and added the worchestershire sauce. Skipped the tomato paste and sugar because I don't dig sweet...

This is pretty good, but like others, I revised the recipe. I added garlic. Didn't have any tomato soup, so I added V8 instead. Also added chili powder & cumin. Let it simmer for awhile and it turned out SO YUMMY!!

I don't think chuck wagon cooks put an italian ingredient(macaroni) or brown sugar and kidney beans in chili. I think this is more hamburger helperish.

I did change it up a bit, I skipped the sugar, I wonder how that changed the grams of fat?

Very good and easy to make. I like chili so I added 2 Table spoons. Great left over too!!!!!!

A good, healthy option, but does not resemble chili mac as much as I had hoped--it's not spicy and more chunky than spaghetti/chili like.

A personal favorite of mine. I like the sweetness of the brown sugar.

Good and filling. Recipe doesn't say how long to cook it after adding in the rest of the ingredients, so I let it simmer for 20 minutes until the beans were soft.

A little to sweet, but I will make again with a little less sugar. Thanks.

Recipe is very good as is, especially for kids. But if you want a little more kick, use a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles. Offsets perfectly with the sweet from the brown sugar.

I'm not sure what I was thinking going for such a "heavy" dish on a hot, humid early-summer day. Add to that, I didn't even have one of the main ingredients, like I thought I did (tomato soup). The story has a happy ending though because, even though it was a bit heavy for the weather, it was really tasty! I did make some changes, based on an earlier review. I wanted it to be a 1-pot meal so I browned the beef and onions, added garlic salt, chili powder, the tomatoes, uncooked pasta, and extra water for the pasta to cook. The only big substitution that I made was for the ingredient that I didn't have on hand - instead of the condensed tomato soup, I used V8. I wasn't sure how it would turn out but since it was all I had on hand, I gave it a try. It was really good. And I snuck in a few extra vitamins with the juice vs. the soup. Oh, and don't tell my kids (or my husband, for that matter) - I also snuck in 1/4c flax meal. Shhhhhhhhh. Substitutions and additions included, everyone raved about it!

I like it! Little did I know when I started that I didn't have an onion, kidney beans (or any beans for that matter) or a green pepper. I added onion flakes, corn, garlic salt and chili powder instead. I also only put one can of tomatoes in, as others had suggested. It turned out really good. I've made variations of this that didn't include things like tomato soup and brown sugar and I must say I like the change. I'll still make my old recipe, but will make this once in a while too...next time I might add cayenne pepper and parmesan cheese too.

I didn't think it was too sweet, but I also didn't think it was all that great. The sauce didn't unite the ingredients, in my opinion. Just kinda tasted like what it was...meat and vegetables with tomato soup on it. Not really gross, but didn't do it for me. Have any of you had the chili mac by Lean Cuisine? Now that's Chili Mac! If only I could find that recipe!

I changed a couple things to suit what i had on hand. I didn't have any condensed tomato soup, so I just left that out along with the brown sugar. I don't keep celery on hadn and was out of green peppers, so those had to be left out as well. Still very tasty and with some added seasonings and spices like garlic powder and chili powder it's a tastey and satisfying meal.

Needs more flavor. Seemed bland. Not worth the calories.

This was quick to prepare but not that good to eat. I had to doctor it up quite a bit since it was pretty bland. I added some chili powder and worcestshire sauce. I didn't care for the tomato soup base either. It made for a very tomatoey chili mac. I won't make this again.

This was pretty good and super easy. I added some canned corn and about 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne to spice it up a bit.

We loved it!

I chose this recipe because it contained brown sugar. I liked the sweetness and lack of spice, but it was fairly plain beyond that.

Made this tonight.. cold damp night and it was great. Did some serious tweaking though. I did follow the advice of a previous poster and made it all in one huge skillet which made it way easier. Omitted the celery since I didn't have any and added 2 cloves of garlic chopped. Also added 2 tsp cumin and used a red pepper instead of green since that's what I had. Omitted the brown sugar as well since I wanted something more hearty than sweet. Lastly kicked it up with some red pepper flakes and cayenne, maybe a pinch of each. Fabulous.. will definitely make again.

I always give a recipe a fair chance and prepare it as written before making any changes or following the suggestions of other reviewers. In this case, I made one change as I prepared the recipe only because I can't do sugar. I used brown sugar splenda instead of regular brown sugar and I reduced the amount to 1T. I finished cooking the chili mac and gave it a taste test before serving to my family and I thought it was overly sweet. To counteract the sweetness I added 1.5T of chili powder, 1 tsp. of garlic powder and 1 tsp of fresh cracked black pepper. I simmered for 10 minutes to let the flavors blend and then served this to my family. I still thought it was way to sweet, but good nonetheless and my husband said add it to the monthly dinner rotation. I will certainly make again per his request, but I will not add any brown sugar at all until after it's done cooking and I have a chance to taste it, then perhaps I'll add a pinch if I feel it needs it. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

This was very yummy, and there was enough for lunch the next day! The only alterations I made were, I added a can of corn, used only one can of tomato soup, and I also added some ketchup.

Absolutely delicious recipe resembling a simple chili but the little extras give it a bit more zest. My husband could eat it every day! I've sent it to all my friends.

I used chili beans instead and my husband and 2 year old really enjoyed it.

It was pretty good but I'd like to spice it up a bit, and maybe chop the tomatoes up a bit more. I'd add a bit more chilli powder and pepper to give it a kick.

This recipie is YUMMY! My only change that I doubled this macaroni (I like more "mac" in my chili mac) and added 1 TBS (or more if you want hot) of chili powder to give it a more "chili" flavor. I make this often.

Thanks so much for this recipe. My Mom used to make the best chili w/ macaroni and she called it "chili con carne". We couldn't wait for chili days. She died when I was very young and the recipe was lost with her so I could never duplicate it! Thanks - added chili powder though.

Delicious and easy to cook!!! Threw it together in a short while and made a huge pot.

Fast, easy and ymmuy! A good mid-week meal for busy nights that the entire family loved! Put some tabasco on the table for the older members of the family who might like a little spice. My two yr old loved it! HINT: I used only 1 can to soup & 1 can of tomatoes.

My kids LOVE this meal. My only change was to substitute one pound of ground turkey for the beef and add another cup of macaroni. It makes a lot and my daughter always wants the left over for her lunch the next day. We enjoy it with a nice garden salad.

excellent warm winter night dish ... fixed it as written except cooked all in skillet as the most helpful review suggested ... daughter said its awesome

This is sooo kid friendly! There were no leftovers,and have been asked to make this again soon.

I made this last night for dinner, as it was cold and wet, and my boyfriend and I both felt like comfort food. It was exactly what we wanted. Nothing fancy, but very very good.

This was a fast and yummy for a week night recipe.The only change I did was using fresh hot house tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes and added some chili powder. I did not add the sugar.I'm glad I didn't add it because the recipe was just sweet enough for me without it.

Very good! For our tastes, we made the following modifications: used Rotel instead of regular canned tomatoes; substituted pinto beans for the kidney; left out the green pepper and celery; added garlic powder. We let it simmer for 20-30 minutes to let the flavors develop a little. This solved the "soupy" problem that some reviewers commented on. Thanks for a good winter night recipe!

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT MY FAMILY WAS HIGHLY IMPRESSED AND GRAMMA'S ALWAYS HAVE GREAT RECIPES....THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS....THIS RECIPES IS DEFINITELY FOR KEEPS IN MY FAMILY.

This was a nice simple meal. I left out the pepper and celery (partially because I didn't have them, but also because we don't like them!) As written, it was a bit lacking in flavor and a bit too sweet for my taste. I added some garlic powder, oregano and italian seasoning. With the additional spices, it tasted great!

I really liked this recipe and so did my picky boyfriend. The only thing I did different is I had a little bit more than a lb of ground beef so I added 2 cups of macaroni. I also added a dash of cumin and a couple shakes of chili powder. And cheddar cheese on top! I'll be making this again! Thank you.

Ok. This is a great recipe as is....I however, was looking for a 1 dish meal that would be easy and fairly quick, so I modified this recipe slightly. I used a large pot, and browned the meat and onions in there together. After draining most of the grease (I leave a bit there for flavoring), I added in 2 cans of tomato soup (was out of tomatoes), and 2 soup cans of water, and then the maccoroni noodles, and let it boil. I added in a bit of garlic powder, and 1/4 package of chili seasoning, as well as a tbsp of chili powder for flavoring, and ended up adding an extra can of water to get the noodles done. Overall, this turned out GREAT!!! One dish meal, and it tastes wonderful....Great basic recipe!!!

This has gone into menu regular rotation. A couple of tweaks for our tastes.. I only use about 1/2 tsp. of brown sugar. Omitted the celery and I use whatever kind of canned bean I happen to have. Makes great lunch leftovers too!

This was FANTASTIC! Finally something my whole family will eat. The only adjustment I made was to cut down on brown sugar & add a sprinkle of chili powder. Thanks!!

Great! The only thing I added was a small can of mild chiles.

Really good! a hit with the kids, and great for lunch at work the next day.

Wonderful! A friend made this for me when I was in college and I couldn't remember what all went in to it. Thanks for posting this delicious recipe! Just perfect for a rainy, autumn day. Grandma's always have the best recipes!

Very simple, very tasty. I also added a can of corn. Family favorite!

this was good

Today was a cold, blustery day, a perfect day to have chili mac! This is a great recipe to have on a cold evening! I gave it 4 stars only because I felt it was missing some spices, my husband gave it 5 stars and devoured it! I didn't follow this recipe exactly because I couldn't remember the order to cook things (my printer is down), so I wound up browing the meat with green peppers and onions first. Then I remembered to add the celery! So after the meat mixture was almost cooked, I threw in the celery. I'm glad I did because it was semi crisp and not mushy if it had cooked the whole time. While I was browing the meat, the noodles were cooking and I am so glad that I put them to the side and served them at the end, there's nothing worse than overcooked noodles! The brown sugar gives this dish sweetness, which my hubby loved. I did add 1 tsp of chili powder, but I think it could've used more and still something else, but I can't think what. We ate it with some crusty french bread and butter and it was incredibly satisfying and kept our bellies nice and warm on this cold evening. Thanks for a keeper recipe!

Family loved this and it's now a dinner we do all the time!

This was a safe recipe that is more geared for children's tastes. I enjoy a chili with a lot of kick to it. I feel the description given suits this recipe well. I would make this again for company but its not my taste.

Nice and sweet chili mac. Did anyone else notice the picture shown with this recipe has no celery but does have corn. Not quite accurate, but very delicious looking. I'm GF so I combined tomato sauce with corn starch and sugar to replace the soup. I also added corn (looks nicer and improves flavor)

No, Just like Grandma Crowder made when I was a kid ,1965

Basically used this as a framework for what I had growing up as well as what we had on hand. Used mini penne instead of elbows. My friend said that it reminded him of what he had growing u. Mission accomplished!