Pressure Cooker Cheesy Chili Mac

This pressure cooker cheesy chili mac is so good! Packed with flavor and taking only 20 minutes to make in your Instant Pot, Crock Pot Express or as a Ninja Foodi recipe. With canned beans, elbow macaroni and ground beef or sausage, you’ll love how easy this is to make.

We are all about easy Instant Pot recipes and our Ninja Foodi lately! Pop all the ingredients in for this pressure cooker cheesy chili mac and you have a one pot meal everyone will love. It’s listed on our roundup of Ninja Foodi recipes but you can use any pressure cooker brand you like really.

If you have bookmarked my page you’ll see instructions for our Instant Pot chili mac recipe. That has always been a fave, but this took it over the top! With the addition of some chiles, green onions, and lots of cheese you can taste the difference. Decide which one your family loves best. Or rotate them both during the week.

Ninja Foodi Chili Mac

Once we got this new multi cooker I wanted to add instructions for the Ninja as well. The only difference with this brand is that you need to use the lid that is not attached to cook everything but the last step of melting the top layer of cheese you will use the lid that is attached.

The base is our 5 ingredient crockpot chili recipe that we have used for years. It was one of our very first blog posts and is still widely popular today. If you just wanted a killer chili dinner you’d omit the noodles. It’s a great way to pressure cook this cheesy chili mac with a really quick cook time.

Cheesy Chili Mac Ingredients

You will need to start with your cooking device, your pressure cooker or Ninja Foodi pressure cooker and air fryer. If you have an Instant Pot I HIGHLY suggest getting a non stick pot because it makes it less sensitive when cooking meat and noodles together.

As for the meat I highly suggest that you use Jimmy Dean Spicy ground sausage because it has a ton of flavor with a bit of heat to it. That is our preference but you could use ground beef if you prefer, the same way.

Can you use frozen ground beef?

You could first follow the directions for our Instant Pot frozen ground beef, drain, break up the meat and then start with the directions below. It is a great option when you forgot to defrost your meat.

A chopped yellow or white Onions are optional but great as well as I like to add a 4 oz. can of diced chiles with our dry package of Chili seasoning.

For the sauce you want to combine Tomato sauce with some petite Diced tomatoes which will make it nice and thick with some chunky elements of veggies.

We are going to make this with a can of Kidney beans. NO need to drain them, just dump in and you are set. These are best because they hold up better under high pressure and won’t break apart.

Elbow macaroni noodles is the preferred pasta but you could use any shape that was small in size. They will be added uncooked and will boil in the sauce and Beef broth to become nice and tender with everything else.

As for the Cheese we prefer sharp cheddar or cheddar and jack mix. It is best added at the end, you can stir some in and melt another layer on the top before serving.

Chili powder is optional to add some to increase spice level but if using spicy sausage we usually don’t add it.

What else can you add?

There are other add-ins you could include if you wanted to really make it loaded. A few favorites would be to add about 1 cup of a combination of the following ideas;

• Diced bell peppers – add with the onions are great in our 5 ingredient Instant Pot chili too
• Sriracha seasoning – for some real added heat and flavor
• Can of black beans – if you love lots of beans
• A can of Rotel – I would add in addition to the can of diced tomatoes so there’s enough liquid
• Bits of roasted jalapeno peppers – I am not that brave

You are going to use the saute function first to cook your meat just until the outsides are no longer pink. It will continue to cook in the next process so you don’t have to cook it 100% done. Then after that it is just a dump and go kinda’ meal!

How Long to Cook Cheesy Chili Mac in a Pressure Cooker

You will need about 4 minutes to saute the meat until it is no longer pink. Then once you add all the other ingredients and submerge the noodles you need 4 – 5 minutes until they are tender. If you like noodles really soft go for the full 5.

When done I stirred in cheese, then sprinkled the same amount on the top and closed the air fryer lid on the Foodi. I checked it often and it took about 5 minutes at 390 degrees! OH MY was it good!!

Should I drain the meat for chili?

I do not. This is really a personal preference answer. We buy half a cow at the beginning of each year and freeze it to use all year long. Since it is so lean and organic there is hardly any fat that remains once it is browned anyway. What little is there I keep in the pot because it does add additional flavor to the overall dish. Even when I used to buy 80/20 ground beef I wouldn’t drain it.  It will be more bland if you do. A bit of fat is not harmful, all in moderation I say.

Tips for Success

After you add all of your canned ingredients and broth, stir them up well. DO NOT stir your uncooked macaroni noodles in. Just gently submerge them into the liquid at the top (or else it may trigger the burn notice)

What is the best secret ingredient for chili?

Meaning, what can you add into this popular dish to spice it up or make it different from the others. The possibilities are endless but here are just a few: you can add a Tbsp. or so of honey, or substitute some of the liquid for some dry sherry. 

You can mix in a few tablespoons of cornmeal to thicken chili and add a sort of polenta touch to it. Carbonated dark soda can be used as some of the liquid needed. This will add a bit of sweetness to your bowl.

Lime juice, a bit of squeeze on the top when done with more shredded cheese is so good. Shredded zucchini can really be added to any dish for some “hidden vegetables” Need more fiber in your diet, add a Tbsp of flax seed! You won’t taste it but it’s great for you.

How do you reheat chili mac?

It will keep in the fridge for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to four months. Store it in airtight containers, then thaw and pop into the microwave until steaming hot. Or transfer to an oven safe dish straight from the freezer to the oven and bake at 375 degrees until bubbling hot throughout.

Other pressure cooker recipes to try after this goodie! Pressure cooker tuna noodle casserole. Our Instant Pot nacho soup is a winner too