A classic spicy chili recipe with ground beef and beans to warm your belly on a cold night. Unless you're from Texas in which case putting beans in your chili could end in criminal charges. At the very least neighbours will shun you.
There's something deliciously comforting about a cold night and a warm bowl of chili. The minute the trees begin to rustle I start aching for the kind of food that warms you from the inside out. To me, chili is at its best when it has layers and layers of heat and flavour. Different chiles, spices, beans and slow cooking are the key to getting the best bowl of chili you've ever had.
I know. You ALREADY make the best chili. Here's the thing. You probably don't.
K. Now that I've ruined our friendship, let's continue on.
Trust me, there are good times and tips ahead for us. For one thing you'll be gassy enough to make your pajama pants billow out, and that's almost always fun.
Always, always, always make a big batch of chili the night before Halloween so you don't have to worry about making dinner while answering the door and stealing candy.
karen bertelsen
Table of Contents
How to chop an onion
Onions are the base of everything delicious except sugary breakfast cereal. Chopping an onion is easy enough, but here's a reminder on the fastest and easiest way to do it.
As every hockey mom knows, chili is an easy thing to have for a rushed fall dinner because the prep work really only consists of chopping an onion and smashing some garlic. Then you throw everything into a pot or slow cooker and wait for the house to smell delicious.
Smashing garlic
Forget the garlic press, they're hard to clean and take up drawer space. Lay your peeled garlic on a cutting board and smash it with the side of your knife.
Just place a wide knife over the garlic clove, then with the heel of your hand (or fist) smash down on the knife. This will flatten your garlic. Then you can mince.
Drain or don't drain the fat?
Fat has flavour which means fat = better chili. However, if you're counting calories drain that beef fat!
1 lb of lean ground beef typically has around 3 Tablespoons of fat. That's 345 calories you got rid of. 86 calories per serving.
Once you've cooked your beef (and drained it) all you have to do is add all of the ingredients into your most prized pot and let 'er cook for a few hours.
LOADED CHILI
The other thing that makes this (or any!) chili irresistible is loading it with as many toppings as you can pile on.
Chili without toppings is like doing a crossword puzzle in pencil. It's for amateurs.
Wait. WHAT? You don't put toppings on your chili??? You need to change that this second.
Topping Ideas for Chili
- Sour Cream
- Cheese
- Cilantro
- Crumbled Tortilla Chips
- Diced Tomatoes
- Sliced Green Onions
- Avocado
- Hot Pepper Flakes
- Pickled Jalapeños
- Fritos!
- Squeeze of lime
- Croutons
Homemade croutons take all of 15 minutes to make, and 10 of those minutes are spent scrolling Instagram while you wait for them to cook.
After a couple of hours of simmering and bubbling, ladle it into a bowl, drop your toppings on, and enjoy. The earthy aroma will fill the house. And possibly make your pajama bottoms dance.
I can't even imagine a better night.
Chili Con Carne.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs ground beef
- 1 large diced onion
- 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes drained
- 1 cup tomato sauce you can use canned spaghetti sauce if you have it in the cupboard
- 1 28 oz. kidney beans can drained
- 1 14 oz. can of baked beans in tomato sauce not drained - make sure the beans aren't in molasses. That's TOO sweet.
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 Tbsps. chili powder
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. oregano
- ¼ tsp. hot pepper flakes Or more to taste
- 4 shakes hot sauce I use Tabasco
- 2 marinated chipotle peppers mashed (the type from a can)
- 1 chili pepper of your choice I use yellow banana peppers or jalapeño
- ½ tsp. salt
- Big old grinding of fresh pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Cut your hot pepper in half. Remove the seeds and membrane. Finely dice one half of the hot pepper. Reserve the other half.
- Add ground beef, onions, garlic and diced hot pepper to pot and cook until onions are transluscent and beef is browned. Pull beef and onion garlic aside to make room at the bottom of the pot to toast the spices until you can smell them. 30 seconds or so.
- Add remaining ingredients (including the reserved half pepper)
- Bring to boil.
- Simmer for 2+ hours with the lid off.
Notes
- Sour Cream
- Cheese
- Cilantro
- Crumbled Tortilla Chips
- Diced Tomatoes
- Sliced Green Onions
- Avocado
- Hot Pepper Flakes
- Pickled Jalapeños
Nutrition
What to Serve With Chili
My mother would say french fries because french fries go with everything. However I would say ... Serve your chili with a side of salad and a plate of buttered toast.
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I've always put beans of some kind in my chili and I was with you (100%) until the "pork and beans." Gak!!
Well, there's actually no pork in them, lol. It's just baked beans in tomato sauce. ~ k!
Chili for Halloween? You betcha babe! My grocery store has lean ground beef for $2.99 so I’m headin’ out soon. Also a good time to make a Shepherd’s Pie (or as we like to say “Cheaper Pie” ever since we saw it on a buffet at a Mexican resort 😂). Have you tried adding a can of black beans, along with the kidney? It adds another layer of flavour/texture. And speaking of fluffing up yer pj’s, it’s entertaining for the kids too!
I have been giggling with glee while reading all the comments and feedback on your most excellent chili recipe...traveling around the world and around the United States has offered me the perfect opportunity to eat chili everywhere...diner, pot luck, roadside stand..
My most favorite and most memorable chili was offered up by a 12 year old budding chef (who turned her nose up at a lemonade stand)...served up on a back road in rural Louisiana for $.25...bring your own container...oh, yes...the line was long and everyone asked kindly for seconds! Cook it, serve it, love it and share it, my friends!!
I make a big batch, omit the ground beef the original recipe I use calls for, found it doesn't even need it, this also gives me the option to use up any leftover chicken, steak, etc when it is served. Recently a friend came over for lunch, declared she did not like chili, decided to taste it anyway (I had teriyaki chicken ready just in case) she ate two bowls of chili plus when she got home she had the one I sent for her hubby.
My DIL does chili with hamburger and Italian sausages all chopped. Then she uses whatever is in her garden. And everyone loves it (except me...don’t tell her). She loves hot peppers but my son is allergic to any pepper with any red in it. I need red peppers! And my DIL serves it with rice. I serve it with garlic bread. I think the best thing about chili is that everyone likes it different than anyone else likes it so we can always feel superior while appreciating the flavors of their cooking.
oh hey there! I was wondering if you could post the Instant Pot modifications for this recipe...I'm not a huge fan of the thing, but since you had great success with this chili using the Instant Pot, I will definitely give it a try. Thanks : )
Karen, I too used to drain the fat off my ground beef. But no more. I read "The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet" by Nina Teicholz - and it challenged and changed everything I thought I knew about healthy eating. This book, thoroughly researched over 9 years, will astound you. Read it.
Next time, use cubed chuck roast. It'll change your life. Add Fritos to the other toppings and you'll be driving to Oregon to hug me.
Pork & beans in the chili is an interesting idea - will have to try this. My cooking pot won't look as beautiful, though =(
I make a similar chili many times from the first cool autumn night to the last snow/ice storm and especially on the night we carve jack-o-lanterns and watch old Halloween movies. The addition of pork/beans is intriguing...I may try that. I typically use cilantro instead of parsley, but agree that toppings are key!
Squeeze some limes on top with the sour cream, cheddar and scallions. mmmmmm. And I'm one of those purists that say chili doesn't have beans so I'll just call your recipe frijoles con carne when I serve it. :)
I must say, these are your nicest food pictures yet!
I'm confused. You have shared a chili recipe with us before, a picture of your recipe card along with a story about sinusitis. I actually roughly use that recipe but add beans and meat to it. I love how the peaches and cinnamon give it a sweet taste along with the spiciness. Was that a chili sauce recipe not meant to be eaten like a chili? I'm not feeling so smart right now despite the fact that I put topping on my chili all the time.
Hi Magali! Oh noooo! Yes that's a chili sauce recipe! That's why I say to serve it with potato pancakes. Kay. Try this recipe as your chili recipe and you'll be much happier, lol. And thanks. Yes, I have a bit more time now to focus on getting a good shot and good lighting. :) ~ karen!
Well, Karen, your chili recipe sorta reminds me of mine in that I've been flippin' the bird for years to the purists who sniff and turn their cute little noses up and say things like "real chili doesn't have tomatoes." or "Ground beef? Real chili is made with steak." And so on. Because you and I both know the truth. Our chili is the best you'll ever taste. Ever. Anywhere. So who cares what's in it.
However, I'm shocked that you just discovered topping your chili! Sour cream, shredded sharp cheddar and finely diced onion. And your choice of hot sauce. And NO oyster crackers! Ever!
For vegetarians (like me) can I suggest substituting cubed sweet potato for the meat. Mmmm ..
Really? I'd worry the sweet potato would be too sweet. My niece makes a really good vegetarian chili. I think it has pretty much everything she can grab in it, lol. ~ karen!
My daughter makes a sweet potato and black bean chili too. It tastes amazing. Not too sweet at all.
In my part of the world (southwestern US, chili beans are pinto beans, and it's sacrilegious to use kidney beans in chili. (I tried to find pinto beans in Port Carling this summer, no go. Maybe you all don't have pinto beans in eastern Canada) But other than that, every things else sounds terrific. Chili freezes well too. Ok, now I have to make chili..
Everyone has their own secret ingredient for chili and I'm no different - my not-so secret ingredient is a chili in adobo sauce. The adobo sauce gives it a great spicy smoky flavor.
Hmmm. I'm not sure if I'm ready to exchange turkey farts for chili farts. I just put 10 bowls of turkey soup in the freezer. I cheat and put a jar of salsa in my chili. Gotta have cornbread too.
The Texan in me is screaming: Beans! You don't put beans in chili! That just makes a tasty dish! Pork and beans?!? WTH?
Actually, it looks delicious and I might actually try the pork and beans the next I make a tasty dish.
Beth,
Please, as a fellow Texan (now transplanted to the midwest), do not put pork and beans in your chili. It will impart a sweet flavor, I fear. And as you know, beans are a side dish.
BTW, I won the Chili Cookoff at my church last year with my Texas Chili. I like Don Henley's recipe.
That is surprising close to my recipe! But I use kidney and black beans, and add a Tbsp or two of cider vinegar. It adds a bit of zest, kind of brightens the flavors. We always do corn bread and honey-butter. Top with sour cream and cheese! I can't wait til it cools off here!! (In California, its been in the 80s for weeks!)
Here's the funny thing … it was close to 80 here in Southern Ontario yesterday, lol. It isn't supposed to be but, it is. Today is warm too. ~ karen!
Try chili on spaghetti!
I sometimes use stewing beef instead of ground beef. I also melt a square of either Mexican or Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate in. Once you've tried it "ordinary" chili tastes, well ordinary.