The Weary Chef

Delicious recipes made easy for busy cooks!

  • Recipes
    • Healthy Meals
    • Recipe Roundups
    • Dinner
    • Desserts
    • Mexican Food
    • Appetizers and Snacks
    • Red Meat
    • Pasta and Noodles
    • Sandwiches and Pizza
  • Weekly Dinner Menus
  • About
    • Meet the Team
    • About Rosie
    • Disclosures
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Recipes / Dinner / Cheesy Chili Pasta Bake in 30 Minutes

Dinner Pasta and Noodles Red Meat

Cheesy Chili Pasta Bake in 30 Minutes

Thank you to Safeway for sponsoring this Cheesy Chili Pasta Bake recipe. You are going to love this quick, easy, hearty meal, and so will your kids!

Chili Cheese Pasta Bake - A 30-minute dinner recipe loaded with protein that your whole family will love!
Click to Pin

Before I get to today’s recipe, I want to talk about an important problem that many families face and an easy way we can help.

Did you know that 1 in 5 children in America live in a home without enough food to eat? That is unreal to me since so many of us have more food than we need. It is very expensive to live in San Francisco, and there are a lot of very wealthy people here. How then are people going hungry in my community? Why do some people have so much while others have so little? We do have an excellent food bank in our city, but I think they just can’t reach everyone who needs help.

There is a misconception that hunger is a problem of homeless people or families obviously living in poverty, but this is a problem that affects many hard working families, especially in places with a high cost of living. You can’t know just by looking at someone if they have the means to adequately feed themselves and their families.

I truly feel that it is the responsibility of those of us who are comfortable to help those who struggle. If you’re like me, the problem of hunger in America feels overwhelming, and you don’t know how you can help. Fortunately, there are organizations who do know what to do, and we can support their good work.

Safeway stores partnered with the Hunger Is foundation, which is working to expand school breakfast programs for kids who need it. Over 22 million boys and girls rely on free or reduced-price school lunch, and I’m grateful that they have that meal secured every weekday. However, nearly half of those children don’t have free or reduced-price breakfast available at school. That means they may be coming to school hungry and having to wait until lunch to get food into their growing bodies. How can they learn, play, socialize, and do all the other things they are meant to do at school every morning if they are hungry?

If you would like to learn more about this organization or find out how you can help, just check out their website for more information.

Chili Pasta Bake is a hearty meal loaded with protein. You'll love this quick and easy version of chili mac, and so will your kids!

I thought I would write a recipe today that I hope families can make to fill up their kids’ bellies at dinner. It’s a pretty affordable dish if you already have the seasonings you need in your pantry and can buy meat and cheese on sale or in bulk. (You can also check out my post about how I save money on meat.) I hope you enjoy this Chili Pasta Bake, and please do consider supporting the good work Hunger Is is doing if you can!

Watch my how-to recipe video!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Chili Cheese Pasta Bake - A 30-minute dinner recipe loaded with protein that your whole family will love!

Cheesy Chili Pasta Bake

Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

You’ll love this quick and easy version of chili mac, and so will your kids!

  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 ounces bite-sized pasta
  • 16 ounces ground beef or turkey
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix (about 1/2 packet)
  • 15 ounces O Organics chili beans drained
  • 15 ounces O Organics diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano drained
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese divided

 

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. (If you have a wide, deep pot like a dutch oven, you can also use this for the baking step to save dishes!)
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
  3. While pasta cooks, spray a skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add meat and taco seasoning to the hot skillet. Brown and crumble the meat, stirring in the seasoning, until cooked through. If you use lean meat, you will not need to drain it.
  4. In a baking dish (I used the same pot I cooked the pasta in), stir together pasta, cooked meat, beans, tomatoes, and one cup of the cheese.
  5. Spread the remaining cup of cheese evenly over the chili mac, and place the pot in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

 

Notes

This recipe also makes great leftovers!

  • Author: Andi
  • Prep Time: 30

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us โ€” we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

More kid-friendly pasta dishes:

Healthy Hamburger Stroganoff
Healthy Hamburger Stroganoff
Easy Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti - Super #easy dinner #recipe!
Easy Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Albertsons Companies & Hunger Is. The opinions and text are all mine.

 

Related posts:

Sausage and Spinach Deep Dish Pizza with Pasta Crust
30-Minute Southwest Chicken Casserole
Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Spinach and Goat Cheese
Double Cheese Avocado and Shrimp Quesadilla
Philly Cheese Steak Pizza
Ranch Dutch Oven Roast Chicken in Oven Bag
Favorite Sausage Pasta Bake
Asian Ground Turkey and Green Beans over Rice Recipe
5-Ingredient Southwest Chicken Rice Bowls
Easy Cheeseburger Boats
Dill Pickle Potato Salad with Grilled Sausages
Homemade Crispy Egg Rolls with Easy Video Recipe


14 Comments

« Chipotle Lime Chicken Stir Fry
Asparagus Stuffed Chicken with Mushrooms »

Comments

  1. daniel says

    September 18, 2016 at 7:54 am

    Too many parents just don’t know how to cook. I have friends like that, all they’re meals are processed. It’s great that you make these awesome recipes available to all .Hope this will make it easier for those inspiring parents to be. Sure helps me when Planing meals for my family. Keep them coming Chef, cheers Daniel C.

    Reply
  2. Debra says

    September 17, 2016 at 4:00 pm

    This recipe sounds great! Can’t wait to try it. I will probably use half of the meat and maybe add more beans. My son’s school has a Food Pantry Drive every month for different places and it has really taught him that people are not as blessed as we are. We go once a month and shop so we can donate.

    Reply
  3. Dee says

    September 17, 2016 at 3:11 pm

    Even my picky eaters would love this pasta, and what an awesome cause! I can’t imagine any child going hungry, and this is such an easy way to help. Just checked the list, and we use a lot of these already!

    Reply
  4. Krista says

    September 17, 2016 at 2:51 pm

    One of the best looking 30 minute meals ever!

    Reply
  5. patricia @ grab a plate says

    September 16, 2016 at 8:30 pm

    What a great dish! I used to work at a food bank here in Phoenix, and for sure hunger is not only a problem for homeless. So many families are so needy. Great promo with Safeway!

    Reply
    • Andi Gleeson says

      September 16, 2016 at 8:32 pm

      I agree! I’m really happy to promote it. Thank you, Patricia :)

      Reply
  6. Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen says

    September 16, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    There are definitely too many people going hungry right here in our country. I will keep my eyes peeled for those tags! And yummm, I love that this simple dish is packed with so much goodness.

    Reply
    • Andi Gleeson says

      September 16, 2016 at 8:50 pm

      Thank you, Heather <3

      Reply
  7. carrie @ frugal foodie mama says

    September 16, 2016 at 3:31 pm

    It is just unreal to me that as much as this country has we actually have kids not getting enough to eat. What a tasty way to help the cause! :) And I love this recipe- so budget friendly.

    Reply
    • Andi Gleeson says

      September 16, 2016 at 9:00 pm

      I can’t understand it either. So much food goes to waste, but people are going hungry. Like I said, I can’t wrap my head around the problem, but I try to support the groups that know how to make a real difference! Thank you, Carrie :)

      Reply
  8. Liz says

    September 16, 2016 at 2:28 pm

    What a delicious weeknight meal! Perfect for my hubby who can be a picky eater!! I’m going to click through to see all the products that will help fight hunger this month—thanks!!

    Reply
    • Andi Gleeson says

      September 16, 2016 at 9:02 pm

      My husband isn’t too picky (as long as broccoli isn’t involved), but my kids sure are! Even they liked this, so that’s a major success at our house. Thanks, Liz!

      Reply
  9. Heather Kinnaird says

    September 15, 2016 at 4:19 pm

    all kids deserve a delicious home cooked meal like this one! hopefully Safeway raises a lot of money for this campaign, I donate every time I shop

    Reply
    • Andi Gleeson says

      September 16, 2016 at 9:06 pm

      I hope so too, Heather. Thank you!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Subscribe to get the latest recipes!

Latest posts

  • Easy Mojito With Dark Rum Recipe
  • 12 Great Grilling Recipes for Hosting Your Own Backyard Grillathon!
  • Tender Cube Steak and Gravy Recipe
  • 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Ribs
  • Chinese Rice Noodle Soup with Shrimp

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 ยท Weary Chef
Recipes | Kitchen Guide
Write for Us | Disclosure & Privacy Policy | Contact