Simple Chili Recipe With Ground Beef And Beans

Sally is the author of four cookbooks and is a regular correspondent for the Boston Globe Wednesday Food Section. She also is a food photographer.

I like to call this my Saturday chili. It’s meaty and hearty and satisfying, and it’s been in our meal rotation all through the chilly months for years now. (They are chili months, after all, haha.)

This recipe makes a whopping sixteen cups. That’s enough to feed a crowd or to hoard in the freezer for those dreary cold nights when it gets dark way too early and the cupboard is bare.

The Best Chili Recipe {easy Recipe}

On any given Saturday morning, I might start this early and give it a long, lazy simmer while I sip my coffee, read the paper, or throw in a load of laundry. I can call up friends and have an impromptu, casual gathering with very little elbow grease.

It’s the long, lazy simmer that really sets this meaty chili apart. Onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes slowly thicken the chili until it is almost creamy.

You can cut the time down to about 45 minutes, but if you're not in a rush, let it simmer up to 1 1/2 hours. You'll will be rewarded with fantastic, deep flavor.

How To Make Homemade Chili (easy Weeknight Dinner Idea!) • A Sweet Pea Chef

Instead of puréeing reconstituted dried chilies as most “from scratch” recipes do, I skip straight to using pure ground chili powders like ancho and chipotle powders to save a step.

Ancho chilies are dried poblano peppers and are relatively mild with an earthy flavor, whereas chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeños, and as such, provide a lot more heat, so use the powder judiciously.

Generic chili powder is a mix of chilies and other seasonings like dried onion and garlic, and I prefer to add those “extra” flavors myself.

Slow Cooker Chili (best Chili Ever!)

As for the “go-withs” there are plenty of toppings to choose from. Set out bowls of them so each person can select his or her own. Here are a few of my top contenders:

Bake a pan of cornbread while the chili simmers and you will have a comforting supper, ready and waiting whenever you are.

Leftover chili will last for at least a week in the fridge, or it can be frozen for up to three months.

Easy Black Bean Chili Recipe

Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating, or reheat the frozen soup straight from the freezer in a saucepan over low heat.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

My Best Chili

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To put together, and from there it’s left to simmer, reduce, and concentrate. It incorporates simple flavor enhancers that make all the difference.

Worcestershire sauce is one such ingredient. It adds umami and enhances the other flavors in the dish. Mustard powder is another secret weapon, along with hot sauce.

Easy And Simple Beef And Bean Chili Recipe And Video

The quantity of hot sauce used in this recipe doesn’t make the dish spicy– in fact, you won’t even know it’s in there. But it is one of my favorite flavor boosters that I use in everything from mac and cheese to soup recipes.

If you’re a spice lover. Toss in some mushrooms or play with different bean combinations. This also works great with ground turkey or a ground beef/ground sausage combination!

(This jump-start allows them to release some of their natural sugars which is a nice way to offset the acidity of the tomatoes.)

Beef Chili Recipe

Increase heat and cook and crumble the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and garlic and cook for 3 more minutes. Drain grease.

Add chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the pot. Add the beef bouillon, crushed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Taste and add seasonings as needed. Let it rest for 5 minutes prior to serving, it will thicken even further. Serve with cornbread!

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Pro Tips The Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, and hot sauce act as flavor enhancers and can’t be tasted outright. The hot sauce won’t make it spicy, I use Frank’s hot sauce for this recipe. Spice Lovers: If you like heat, I would double or triple the hot sauce and use a little more cayenne as well. Consider adding additional spice gradually and tasting until desired level is obtained. Chicken Broth: I like the depth of flavor from using chicken broth as it adds a nice contrast to the beef, but feel free to use beef broth or a combination of both. Make-Ahead Meal: This is a great recipe to make up to 2 days ahead of time and reheat on the stove top when ready to eat! If needed, an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce (or passata) can be added as the chili may thicken more during storage. This chili is great for making my chili mac recipe and leftovers are perfect for baked chili cheese dogs! Want to make a version with chunky beef? Try my Chili Con Carne! Storage

Tools For This Recipe (Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here. Le Creuset 4.5 quart Dutch Oven– This is the one I use for this recipe, it’s the perfect size and it conducts heat really well. Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer. Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time. Chefs Knife– I have this one. It’s high quality and affordable. Try These Next

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Ground Beef Chili Beans

This easy chili recipe is a classic meal that can be made on the stovetop or in the Crock Pot! This savory chili sauce is loaded with juicy ground beef, beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, and the best flavor enhancers.

Calories: 295 kcal , Carbohydrates: 26 g , Protein: 29 g , Fat: 9 g , Saturated Fat: 3 g , Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g , Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g , Trans Fat: 1 g , Cholesterol: 62 mg , Sodium: 660 mg , Potassium: 1084 mg , Fiber: 7 g , Sugar: 8 g , Vitamin A: 1083 IU , Vitamin C: 31 mg , Calcium: 92 mg , Iron: 7 mgThis tasty, fast, and easy beef and bean chili recipe is made with beans, ground beef, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and spices that you probably already have in your spice rack. This simple chili recipe is delicious and screams COMFORT FOOD!

This chili recipe with beans is slow simmered with ground beef in diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Chili is affordable, comforting, makes a lot, and freezable.

Ingredient Chili Recipe

Wanna stretch this simple chili recipe even further? Beef and bean chili is also delicious over nachos, rice, hot dogs, or spaghetti noodles.

Edients for Chili. I didn't have enough red peppers so I substituted some Hatch green chilis that I had instead. This recipe is for ground beef but you can use ground turkey or ground elk instead.

Taste the chili while cooking and add more spice as you like. Sometimes I'll want more chili powder and more cayenne if I want more heat in my chili. Just remember that the flavors and spices in chili will intensify as it cooks and as it cools and thickens.

No Bean 30 Minute Chili

Addwater or broth at ½ cup increments if the beaf and bean chili begins to dry out as it cooks (this usually happens if you cook or simmer it at too high of a heat). If you think the chili is too soupy, remember that it will thicken as it cools.

If you have time, make it early in the day and let the chili warm in the oven covered at 170F for the rest of the day.

This chili picture was taken directly after the video above. It has not had to time to sit and thicken up but came out perfectly and was better (and hotter) the next day.

The Best Ground Beef Chili Recipe

The ground beef is interchangeable in chili