This Baked Chili Roni is an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love! Whip it up in a skillet over the stove top, then bake it for just a short time in the oven to lock in those incredible flavors! Top with cheese to increase the delicious factor even more!
Usually when it’s around dinner time at our house, the evening chaos is at an all time high. My daughter is needing to be picked up from volleyball practice, the kids are finishing homework and reading, and my husband is just getting off work. I love to make a weekly menu on Sunday evening, so I always have a game plan of what’s going to go on the table each night.
That way, when 4:00 rolls around and all the kids are all hungry and asking what’s for dinner, I know exactly what I’m going to make. My meals typically are easy-to-prepare and come together in around 30 minutes, give or take, so I can move on to the next activity. This one is no different! I grew up eating this and now my kids devour it every time it’s served!
It’s a pasta chili medley of sorts, so you have all the wonderful chili flavors and beans in there, but combined with macaroni. It’s pretty much pure bliss for the taste buds! My mom always made this with ground beef, but I like to up the flavor by using kielbasa pieces instead. Have you ever had kielbasa? It’s a Polish sausage that’s loaded with flavor! I’d highly recommend this substitution! But, of course, if ground beef is all you’ve got, please feel free to use it!
I’m a huge fan of one pan wonders like today’s recipe. You can make it in a big skillet and then transfer it to an oven safe dish to bake, or you can make it in a cast iron pot, like I do, and then it can go directly in the oven and you don’t have to dirty two pans. Winning!
This is a meal the whole family can get behind! Pasta with a homemade chili sauce, meat, and cheese…it just doesn’t get better than this! It’s one of those dinners that you’ll remember with total fondness and want to eat again and again! My kids and husband beg me to make this on a regular basis!
It’s hearty and comforting and you’ll be left with a smile when that dinner plate’s empty! I can’t wait for your family to try this! It’s love at first bite!
Baked Chili Roni
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef *or the same amount of diced Kielbasa, I recommend using Kielbasa for added flavor
- 3/4 c. diced yellow onion
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 4 c. hot water as hot as you can get it from the tap
- 16 oz. tomato sauce two 8-oz cans
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. celery salt if you don’t have any, substitute 1/4 tsp. salt and 3/4 tsp. celery seed
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 2 cups elbow macaroni uncooked
- 1 can 16 oz. kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- Grated cheddar cheese for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large skillet or cast iron pan over the stove top, brown ground beef with onion and garlic until beef is no longer pink. Drain fat. *If using Kielbasa (recommended), cook and stir Kielbasa pieces with onion and garlic over the stove top until kielbasa is completely cooked.
- Add hot water, tomato sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, celery salt, salt, dried oregano and black pepper and bring the meat sauce to a full boil.
- Stir in uncooked macaroni. Continue to allow it to boil and cook over the stovetop, stirring every so often, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or just until macaroni is tender and liquids mostly cook out.
- Stir in kidney beans, transfer to an oven-safe dish if needed, and cover with foil or an oven safe lid. Heat through in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.
- Top each serving with grated cheddar cheese.
Notes
We’ve been enjoying this meal for years! It’s a tried-and-true, best-loved family recipe. I hope it becomes a favorite at your house too!
If you love this recipe, be sure to also try these amazing casseroles and these incredible skillet meals!
