We all know that chilli and rice go well together – but have you ever tried chilli with pasta?! This vegetarian chilli mac combines two of my favourite dinners to create something that’s way more than the sum of its parts:
It’s packed with vegetables, beans, and of course, plenty of gooey cheesy pasta!
If that hasn’t already convinced you to try this recipe, perhaps this will: This vegetarian chilli mac be made in just one pot! If there’s one thing that can make a tasty meal even more irresistible, it’s knowing that you’ll only have one pan to wash afterwards!
This is a one pot pasta recipe, meaning everything – even the pasta – cooks right there in the homemade enchilada sauce, helping to make it thick and luscious.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It. Is. Delicious!
- It’s the perfect one pot dinner – so there’s minimal faff, and minimal washing up!
- You can adjust the spices and vegetables to your own preferences – you can use it as a bit of a fridge clearer.
- This chilli mac is irresistible comfort food, but it’s still full of vegetables and protein-rich beans – the best of both worlds.
- It’s hearty enough to serve on its own, but just like all the best Tex-Mex meals, it can also be dressed up with your favourite toppings, like avocado, sour cream or tortilla chips!
🥗 Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need some kitchen staples, like oil, salt and black pepper.
A few ingredient notes:
- pasta – I used fusilli, but any similar shape will work, e.g. penne or spirali.
- onions – I actually used frozen diced onions, but fresh onion would be great too!
- bell pepper – I used a few mini ones, because that’s what I had on hand. One large pepper would also be great – red, yellow or orange would be the tastiest.
- mushrooms
- garlic
- kidney beans – black beans would be great too.
- spices – smoked paprika, ground cumin, and mild chilli powder. Use more chilli if you like it spicy!
- passata – this is a tomato sauce that is literally just made from sieved tomatoes. If you can’t find passata, any other similar tomato sauce will be fine.
- grated cheese – I used the pre-grated stuff, but cheese grated from a block would be even better.
See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.
🔄 Ingredient Swaps
Here are a few ways you could adapt this recipe:
- Swap the vegetables for whatever you already have in the fridge. Sweetcorn, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), tomatoes, etc. would all work well.
- You could try using wholegrain pasta if you prefer. It usually takes a few more minutes to cook than white pasta, so may also need an extra splash of water.
- If you like things really spicy, swap the cheddar cheese for your favourite kind of spicy cheese – or, use something like mozzarella if you want your chilli mac to be mild and gooey.
- Mix through a dollop of cream cheese just before serving to make an extra creamy chilli mac.
- Black beans would work really well instead of kidney beans, if you prefer.
📋 Instructions
Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Start by cooking off the onions, peppers and mushrooms for a few minutes, until they’re beginning to soften.
Step 2: Add the spices and kidney beans. The spices will begin to create the rich, spicy sauce as they coat the vegetables.
Step 3: Add the uncooked pasta and the passata. Bring to a simmer.
Step 4: When the pasta is cooked, stir through some of the cheese to make the whole dish nice and creamy. Melt the remaining cheese on top.
Step 5: Serve with your choice of toppings or side dishes. I chose fresh parsley and sliced avocado.
