A real chili-mac is not just regular chili sitting on top of noodles or even mixed in with macaroni elbows. Real chili-mac like you get at Steak ‘n Shake is spicy chili beef sitting on a dollop of spicy ketchup and a pile of pasta.
If you are from the Midwest, you’ll already know that chili-mac doesn’t have much to do with a normal chili recipe. And this copycat recipe based on the Steak N Shake version is definitely a Midwestern chili-mac!
The great thing about this recipe is that you can do loads with it. If you add some beans it is called a 4-way chili mac. Go all the way and add the full list of toppings to get a 5-way chili!
I’ve added some optional topping ideas based on this or you can keep it simple and just serve with saltine crackers and Parmesan cheese, my favorite way.
Do you need to brown the beef first?
Don’t worry that I didn’t brown the meat before adding it to the pan – that’s the way the recipe works best. Simmering raw ground beef is how you get the texture like Steak ‘n Shake.
The simmering can always be extended if you don’t feel the meat is as cooked as you’d like.
You could also boil the beef beforehand but it just seems like extra work to me and you lose all the flavoring from the fat in the beef.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef preferably 73/27 or 80/20
- Ketchup
- Chili Seasoning (I use Williams or Lawry’s)
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Spaghetti Noodles
- Onions (optional)
- Shredded Cheese (optional)
- Red Kidney Beans (optional)
The recipe that this was based on was from Wally’s in Kankakee, Illinois and they used kidney suet. But I’m not a fan! So if you use ground beef with something like 73/27 fat content and don’t drain the fat, you’ll get the same effect. No kidney suet is needed.
How to Make Steak N Shake Chili Mac
- Grab a medium saucepan and add the ground beef, 1 cup of ketchup, chili seasoning, and the Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Bring it to simmer over medium-low heat and keep it there for 2 hours. Stirring occasionally.
- Near the end of the 2 hours, cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
- Warm the rest of the ketchup in a small saucepan or in the microwave and add a little extra Worcestershire sauce if you like it tangy.
- Put the spaghetti in a bowl, add the ketchup then top with the beef mixture. Add any of the optional toppings that you chose.
- Serve with saltine crackers and grated Parmesan cheese.
Use two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce to each ½ cup of tomato ketchup to get the best ratio to make more of the special chili sauce. You can also use bottled chili sauce if you like, but it won’t be as close.
What about adding water to the recipe?
There’s no need to use water to boil the ground beef first. There is enough fat in the beef and enough liquid in the ketchup and Worchestershire sauce to cook with.
I’ve only ever used water once and that was when I’d left the pan a little too long without stirring and things had dried a little! So just keep stirring periodically and the fat from the meat should do the job.
How do you store leftover chili mac beef?
If you want to batch cook the chili, you can let it cool and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Use the microwave to reheat it. You could also use it with tortilla chips as a great appetizer or snack.
I usually make fresh spaghetti for serving leftovers, but you can easily reheat leftover noodles by running them under some shot water for a few minutes. Just make sure you drain it well, it won’t have as much starch as the first time around.
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Chili-Mac
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef preferably 73/27 or 80/20
- 1 cup Ketchup plus additional to top noodles when plating
- 1 package Chili Seasoning I use Williams or Lawry’s
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 16 ounces Spaghetti Noodles
- Onions diced, optional
- Shredded Cheese optional
- Red Kidney Beans optional
Instructions
- Add ground beef, 1 cup ketchup, chili seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer 2 hours. Stirring occassionally.
- Cook spaghetti near the end of simmering time.
- Warm extra ketchup in a microwave or a small saucepan. Additional Worcestershire sauce can be added to the ketchup if desired.
- Place spaghetti into a bowl, top with ketchup and beef mixture. Sprinkle any additional toppings you want.
- Serve with saltine crackers and grated Parmesan cheese.
