THE SPLIT PLATE / RECIPE

Chili Mac and Cheese

Adjusted recipe for 4 servings. Use the ingredient quantities below.

YIELD4 servings
TOTAL TIME35 min
COOK METHODOne pot
EST. / SERVING~380 cal | ~39g protein
KEY TO SUCCESS: TWO POTS FOR THE PASTA. Carbe Diem elbows in one, Barilla regular in the other. Salt both. Cook per package. Non-negotiable — this is the split.

Ingredients scaled from the original 8-serving recipe. Cooking times, pan size, and amounts written in the method may need adjustment.

Ingredients

SAUCE BASE (blended, then split 2:1)

  • ~150 g cottage cheese
  • 1/4 cup fat-free Fairlife ultra-filtered milk
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp cheddar cheese powder

LOOSENER

  • 0.2 cup Kirkland chicken bone broth (1/4 cup adult pot + 1/8 cup kid pot)

ADULT PASTA

  • 4 oz dry Carbe Diem elbows (or Pete's higher-fiber elbows) — 2 oz per adult container

ADULT MELT

  • 1 oz Velveeta Original

Option 1

  • 3 oz dry Barilla regular elbows — 1.5 oz per kid container
  • 1 full-serving equivalents Hot Dog Chili Base (~140-160 g total = 1/2 serving per container)
  • 1/2 oz Velveeta Original
  • 0.1 cup Kirkland chicken bone broth

CHAIN-FROM (from cookbook)

  • 3 servings prepared Hot Dog Chili Base (~420-480 g total — the reserve from Chili Hot Dogs)

MELT

  • 1 1/2 oz Velveeta Original (2 oz adult pot + 1 oz kid pot)

SEASONING

  • Salt (for both pasta waters)

ADULT PORTION

  • 2 full servings Hot Dog Chili Base (~280-320 g total)

ADULT LOOSENER

  • 0.1 cup Kirkland chicken bone broth

Allergens: gluten, dairy, mustard, fish. Possible soy

AT THE PASTA + THE POT. Two pastas cooked in two pots. Sauce blended once, then divided 2:1 into adult and kid pots. Velveeta + chili + bone broth added to each pot per its portion.

Method

Shared base

  1. 1.BLEND THE SAUCE BASE. Cottage cheese + Fairlife into a blender until mostly smooth. Add nutritional yeast + cheddar powder. Blend again until completely smooth and pourable. If curd texture remains, blend 60 sec more.
  2. 2.TWO POTS, TWO PASTAS. Cook 8 oz Carbe Diem elbows (adult) and 6 oz Barilla regular elbows (kid) in separate salted-water pots per each pasta's package directions. Drain both, return to their original pots.
  3. 3.DIVIDE THE SAUCE 2. 1: Two parts of the blended sauce into the adult pot, one part into the kid pot. Adult pot carries more pasta and gets more sauce.
  4. 4.MELT VELVEETA. 2 oz Velveeta into the adult pot + 1 oz into the kid pot. Stir over LOW heat until fully melted and glossy. Do NOT add the chili yet — Velveeta needs bare pasta + sauce to melt cleanly.
  5. 5.ADD RESERVED CHILI. 4 full servings (~280-320 g) of Hot Dog Chili Base into the adult pot. 2 full-serving equivalents (~140-160 g) into the kid pot — this becomes half a chili serving in each of the 4 kid containers. Fold to combine.
  6. 6.LOOSEN + FOLD. 1/4 cup bone broth into the adult pot, 1/8 cup into the kid pot. Fold over low heat until creamy and evenly combined. Sauce should coat the pasta glossy, not pool.
  7. 7.PORTION 4+4 CONTAINERS. Divide the adult pot across 4 airtight containers (~2 oz dry pasta + 1 chili serving + one-quarter of the adult sauce build per container). Divide the kid pot across 4 airtight containers. Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing — critical for texture across the week.

Adult — Carbe Diem Higher-Fiber Elbows + Full Chili Serving

  1. 8.ADULT CONTAINER = 2 oz dry Carbe Diem elbows cooked + 1 full chili serving + one-quarter of the adult pot's sauce build + 1/2 oz Velveeta melt-in equivalent. ~380 cal / 39g protein per container.

Kid — Barilla Regular Elbows + Half Chili Serving (Same Sauce Base) · Option 1

  1. 8.KID POT. 1.5 oz dry Barilla regular elbows + one-third of the blended sauce + 1 oz Velveeta melted in + 2 full-serving equivalents of Hot Dog Chili Base folded through + 1/8 cup bone broth. Fold until creamy.
  2. 9.PORTION 4 KID CONTAINERS. Divide the kid pot across 4 airtight containers. Each container ≈ 1.5 oz dry pasta + 1/2 chili serving + one-quarter of the kid sauce build. Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing.

SPLIT PLATE SERVING

Adult — Carbe Diem Higher-Fiber Elbows + Full Chili Serving: Serve the adult portion as described above.

Kid — Barilla Regular Elbows + Half Chili Serving (Same Sauce Base): Serve the kid portion as described above.

Keys to success

  • BLEND THE COTTAGE CHEESE UNTIL POURABLE. Blender with cottage cheese + Fairlife until smooth. Then add nutritional yeast + cheddar powder. Blend again. If it still shows curd texture, blend longer.
  • DIVIDE SAUCE 2:1. Two parts to the adult pot (which has 8 oz dry pasta / 4 servings). One part to the kid pot (which has 6 oz dry pasta / 4 servings). Kid gets less sauce because kid pasta is a smaller portion.

If something fails

Cottage cheese sauce is grainy / curdy: Not blended enough. Return to blender with 2 tbsp more Fairlife and blend 60 sec more until pourable. Cheddar powder + nutritional yeast can also mask residual curd — add them last, blend again.

Velveeta didn't melt cleanly / has flecks: Chili went in too early. Velveeta needs bare pasta + hot sauce to melt. Next time: pasta → sauce → Velveeta (melt over LOW heat, stir) → chili → broth. Rescue: warm the whole pot over low with 2 tbsp more Fairlife, whisk gently. Flecks may partially melt back in.

Adult pasta feels dry / stiff by day 3: Pete's/Carbe Diem protein pastas tighten in the fridge as they absorb sauce. Add a 2 tbsp splash of milk or bone broth before reheating; cover the container while microwaving. Same technique keeps id 41 Beef Bacon Pasta creamy across the week.

Kid rejects the fiber-elbow chew: Kid was fed the adult pasta by mistake. Kid pot is Barilla regular elbows only; adult pot is Carbe Diem only. Check labels before pouring — the split is the whole macro-hack.

Sauce reads flat / not cheesy enough: Skipped or under-dosed the cheddar powder + nutritional yeast. Add another 1 tbsp cheddar powder + 1 tbsp yeast, blend or fold in. That's what makes it read as chili MAC, not creamy chili pasta.

Containers went soggy overnight: Sealed hot. Steam under a warm lid softens the pasta. Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing — critical step for meal-prep pastas of any kind.

Out of Hot Dog Chili Base reserve: This dinner is designed as the second half of the Chili Hot Dogs chain. Starting fresh means a full 25-30 min chili base cook (see the Hot Dog Chili Base cookbook page). Or sub any thick, no-bean beef chili — Amy's, Wolf Brand, or homemade.

Storage and reheating

Store: Portion into 8 airtight containers (4 adult + 4 kid). Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing — critical step to prevent lid steam from softening the pasta. Refrigerate promptly.

Reheat: Microwave covered 90 sec + a 2 tbsp splash of milk or bone broth if the sauce has tightened, stir, 30 more sec. Reheat to 165°F. Stovetop reheat on low with a splash of broth preserves texture best; microwave is acceptable.

Lasts: 3-4 days fridge. Cottage cheese + Velveeta blend holds better than heavy-cream Alfredo across the week — same pattern as id 41 Beef Bacon Pasta. Freezing is possible but the dairy sauce may soften or separate slightly after thawing; best fresh through day 3.

Estimated nutrition

~380 cal | ~39g protein.

thesplitplate.com/recipes/chili-mac-and-cheese

Chili Mac and Cheese
Split Cook Method™Core Signatures

Chili Mac and Cheese

The chili from Chili Hot Dogs is the T3 lever. 6 reserved servings + a blended cottage-cheese-and-Velveeta sauce + two pastas (Carbe Diem for adults, Barilla regular for kids) = 8 meal-prep containers that don't taste like a leftover repeat. 35 min end-to-end.

Make this when

You cooked Chili Hot Dogs earlier in the week and reserved 6 servings of the 12-serving Hot Dog Chili Base. This dinner cashes in the reserve — 8 meal-prep containers, ~380 cal / 39g protein per adult container, ready to reheat all week. One chili base = two family dinners without a second cook.

Total time
35 min
Yield
8 servings
Protein
~39g
Calories
~380
Cost / serving
$3.50
Cook method
One pot
Allergens and safety

Contains: gluten, dairy, mustard, fish

  • Possible soy

Packaged ingredients change formulas — check the label on what's actually in your kitchen.

Adjust servings

Ingredients

Adults
Kids
Scaled to 4

SAUCE BASE (blended, then split 2:1)

CHAIN-FROM (from cookbook)

MELT

LOOSENER

SEASONING

ADULT PASTA

ADULT PORTION

ADULT MELT

ADULT LOOSENER

KID PASTA

KID PORTION

KID MELT

KID LOOSENER

Method

Split point

AT THE PASTA + THE POT. Two pastas cooked in two pots. Sauce blended once, then divided 2:1 into adult and kid pots. Velveeta + chili + bone broth added to each pot per its portion.

4 adult containers (2 oz dry Carbe Diem elbows + 1 full chili serving each) / 4 kid containers (1.5 oz dry Barilla regular elbows + 1/2 chili serving each). Same blended sauce base split 2:1 into two pots.

Shared base

Cook once — this part works for everyone.

  1. 1
    BLEND THE SAUCE BASE

    Cottage cheese + Fairlife into a blender until mostly smooth. Add nutritional yeast + cheddar powder. Blend again until completely smooth and pourable. If curd texture remains, blend 60 sec more.

  2. 2
    TWO POTS, TWO PASTAS

    Cook 8 oz Carbe Diem elbows (adult) and 6 oz Barilla regular elbows (kid) in separate salted-water pots per each pasta's package directions. Drain both, return to their original pots.

  3. 3
    DIVIDE THE SAUCE 2

    1: Two parts of the blended sauce into the adult pot, one part into the kid pot. Adult pot carries more pasta and gets more sauce.

  4. 4
    MELT VELVEETA

    2 oz Velveeta into the adult pot + 1 oz into the kid pot. Stir over LOW heat until fully melted and glossy. Do NOT add the chili yet — Velveeta needs bare pasta + sauce to melt cleanly.

  5. 5
    ADD RESERVED CHILI

    4 full servings (~280-320 g) of Hot Dog Chili Base into the adult pot. 2 full-serving equivalents (~140-160 g) into the kid pot — this becomes half a chili serving in each of the 4 kid containers. Fold to combine.

  6. 6
    LOOSEN + FOLD

    1/4 cup bone broth into the adult pot, 1/8 cup into the kid pot. Fold over low heat until creamy and evenly combined. Sauce should coat the pasta glossy, not pool.

  7. 7
    PORTION 4+4 CONTAINERS

    Divide the adult pot across 4 airtight containers (~2 oz dry pasta + 1 chili serving + one-quarter of the adult sauce build per container). Divide the kid pot across 4 airtight containers. Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing — critical for texture across the week.

Adult — Carbe Diem Higher-Fiber Elbows + Full Chili Serving

  1. 8

    ADULT CONTAINER = 2 oz dry Carbe Diem elbows cooked + 1 full chili serving + one-quarter of the adult pot's sauce build + 1/2 oz Velveeta melt-in equivalent. ~380 cal / 39g protein per container.

Kid — Barilla Regular Elbows + Half Chili Serving (Same Sauce Base)

  1. 8
    KID POT

    1.5 oz dry Barilla regular elbows + one-third of the blended sauce + 1 oz Velveeta melted in + 2 full-serving equivalents of Hot Dog Chili Base folded through + 1/8 cup bone broth. Fold until creamy.

  2. 9
    PORTION 4 KID CONTAINERS

    Divide the kid pot across 4 airtight containers. Each container ≈ 1.5 oz dry pasta + 1/2 chili serving + one-quarter of the kid sauce build. Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing.

Adult plate | Kid plate

4 adult containers (2 oz dry Carbe Diem elbows + 1 full chili serving each) / 4 kid containers (1.5 oz dry Barilla regular elbows + 1/2 chili serving each). Same blended sauce base split 2:1 into two pots.

Adult plate

Adult — Carbe Diem Higher-Fiber Elbows + Full Chili Serving

39g
Protein
380
Calories

What makes it different

  • 4 oz dry Carbe Diem elbows (or Pete's higher-fiber elbows) — 2 oz per adult container
  • 2 full servings Hot Dog Chili Base (~280-320 g total)
  • 1 oz Velveeta Original
  • 0.1 cup Kirkland chicken bone broth
Kid plate

Kid — Barilla Regular Elbows + Half Chili Serving (Same Sauce Base)

Macros not published for this plate — portion it to their appetite.

What makes it different

  • 3 oz dry Barilla regular elbows — 1.5 oz per kid container
  • 1 full-serving equivalents Hot Dog Chili Base (~140-160 g total = 1/2 serving per container)
  • 1/2 oz Velveeta Original
  • 0.1 cup Kirkland chicken bone broth

Three keys to success

  1. 1TWO POTS FOR THE PASTA. Carbe Diem elbows in one, Barilla regular in the other. Salt both. Cook per package. Non-negotiable — this is the split.
  2. 2BLEND THE COTTAGE CHEESE UNTIL POURABLE. Blender with cottage cheese + Fairlife until smooth. Then add nutritional yeast + cheddar powder. Blend again. If it still shows curd texture, blend longer.
  3. 3DIVIDE SAUCE 2:1. Two parts to the adult pot (which has 8 oz dry pasta / 4 servings). One part to the kid pot (which has 6 oz dry pasta / 4 servings). Kid gets less sauce because kid pasta is a smaller portion.

Go deeper

Storage and nutrition

Storage: Portion into 8 airtight containers (4 adult + 4 kid). Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing — critical step to prevent lid steam from softening the pasta. Refrigerate promptly.

Reheat: Microwave covered 90 sec + a 2 tbsp splash of milk or bone broth if the sauce has tightened, stir, 30 more sec. Reheat to 165°F. Stovetop reheat on low with a splash of broth preserves texture best; microwave is acceptable.

Lasts: 3-4 days fridge. Cottage cheese + Velveeta blend holds better than heavy-cream Alfredo across the week — same pattern as id 41 Beef Bacon Pasta. Freezing is possible but the dairy sauce may soften or separate slightly after thawing; best fresh through day 3.

Watch the full cook

Brands I use

Hot Dog Chili Base
Cookbook cross-link — the reusable component this dinner chains from
This dinner IS the second half of the Chili Hot Dogs chain. Cook one 12-serving base for the Chili Hot Dogs dinner earlier in the week; the 6 reserved servings feed the 8 Chili Mac containers here. Full method + macros on the cookbook page.
Split Plate Chili Hot Dogs
Recipe cross-link — the first dinner in the chain
The narrative pair. Cook Chili Hot Dogs (id 51) on chili-dog night, plate the family, then reserve the remaining 6 chili servings. Chili Mac becomes the next-day 8-container meal prep — no second cook, no repeat-feel.
Carbe Diem
Higher-fiber elbows (adult carb — ~17g protein / 7g net carbs per serving)
The adult macro anchor. Higher-fiber elbow pasta lets the sauce stay full-fat (Velveeta + cottage cheese) while adult macros stay honest at 380 cal / 39g protein. Sub Pete's higher-fiber elbows or Barilla Protein+ elbows.
Barilla
Regular Elbows (kid carb — familiar shape + soft cook)
Kids reject the fiber-elbow chew. Kid pot uses Barilla regular so the pasta reads as normal mac-and-cheese texture. Sub any small elbow-cut wheat pasta.
Velveeta
Original slices (2 oz adult pot + 1 oz kid pot melt)
Tier 2 melt anchor. Melts cleanly into hot pasta + cottage-cheese sauce in seconds. Locks the mac-and-cheese identity. Sub American slices for a shorter ingredient list.
Fairlife
Fat-free Ultra-Filtered Milk (sauce thinner)
Lactose-free, high-protein, low-carb. Blends into the cottage cheese to make a pourable sauce. Not dairy-free.

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