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Chili Macaroni and Cheese

A baked macaroni and cheese dish with chili, ground beef, and a creamy cheese sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 23 ingredients
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Why it works: Cumin and oregano match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Chili Macaroni and Cheese

Oven400°F

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the pasta

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

  3. Add salt and then the macaroni.

  4. Cook the macaroni to al dente according to the package directions.

  5. Drain the macaroni and set aside until the cheese sauce is ready.

Make the chili

  1. Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat.

  2. Add the red onions and cook, covered, until soft, about a couple of minutes.

  3. Add the garlic and bell peppers and cook an additional 2 to 5 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.

  4. Add the ground beef and sprinkle with salt and pepper; cook until browned, stirring to break up the beef into small pieces.

  5. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano, and cook until the spices are fragrant.

  6. Add the beans and their liquid, the tomatoes and their juices, and the tomato paste; simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Make the cheese sauce

  1. In a separate saucepot, melt the butter over low heat.

  2. Add the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute.

  3. Whisk in the milk, raise the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil; cook, whisking, until thickened.

  4. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream cheese, Cheddar, mustard, Worcestershire, and some salt and pepper.

Combine and serve

  1. Pour the pasta into the cheese sauce and stir to combine.

  2. Mix the chili into the macaroni and cheese.

  3. Transfer the dish to a serving bowl and top with additional Cheddar and the green onions.

  4. Serve with corn chips.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1616Calories
72 gProtein
72 gFat
174 gCarbs

Counts 20 of 21 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 20 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Kidney Bean1/2 cup canned (128g) drained112
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Cream Cheese1 oz (28g)99
Corn Chip1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Macaroninot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cumin + oreganotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together983 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Garlic + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,756 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Clove + cumintop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,306 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Macaroni
Provides the starchy body that the cheese sauce coats and clings to.
Ground beef
Browns to add savory depth and a meaty, substantial texture to the chili.
Kidney beans
Add body, fiber-like bulk and a soft, creamy texture to the chili.
All-purpose flour
Thickens the butter and milk into a smooth, stable cheese sauce.
Cheddar
Melts into the sauce to give rich flavor and a stretchy, creamy texture.
Cream cheese
Adds smoothness and extra creaminess that keeps the sauce from turning grainy.

The step that matters

Thicken the sauce before adding cheese. Flour must cook briefly and then the milk must boil to thicken fully. Adding cheese while the sauce is still thin or over high heat can make it grainy or oily, so the cheese is stirred in off the heat.

Swap the kidney beans

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, onion, clove, garlic, beef, cumin, oregano):

  1. Chickpeafits better
  2. Lentilsfits better
  3. Beansfits better
  4. Kidney beansthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, onion, clove, garlic, beef, cumin, oregano. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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