This fast, flavorful, and easy Beef Chili Recipe is ready in 30 minutes! Add your favorite toppings to create a meal your family will love.
What you’ll love about this recipe
One pot: You can’t beat a one pot meal! Minimal dishes and easy cleanup.
Comfort food: This is a cozy meal that is perfect for fall and winter.
Easily adaptable: Change out the meat, veggies, and toppings to make your favorite version.
Beef chili key ingredients
Ground beef: Use your favorite brand. I prefer a lean or grass-fed variety, but you can choose any type that you like. You can also swap the ground beef for ground turkey or vegetarian “meat” crumbles.
Tomatoes: This is a tomato based chili, and I use a combination of tomato sauce and fire roasted crushed tomatoes.
Vegetables: Sauteed onion, garlic, and diced green chiles lend a savory flavor to the chili. In addition to those you can also add chopped bell peppers, celery, or corn.
Beans: Canned beans add texture and heartiness to this chili. You can add 2 cans of beans, 1 can of beans or no beans. Kidney beans, black beans or pinto beans are my favorite varieties for chili. I choose beans that are NOT seasoned since I add the chili seasoning separately. If your beans are already seasoned for chili, you can reduce the chili powder in the recipe.
Toppings: Here is where you get to have fun. Choose from cheese, sour cream, green onions, avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, jalapenos, diced onion, chopped tomato and more!
How to make it lighter
A few simple swaps and additions can lighten this recipe:
- Use lean or grass-fed organic ground beef or lean ground turkey. You can even reduce the amount of meat to ¾ lb.
- Increase the veggies! Add some extra veggies: bell peppers, corn, celery, and carrots all work great in here.
- Use low sodium or no salt added tomato products and beans.
- Take it easy with the toppings. Chips, cheese, avocado and sour cream can easily add a chunk of fat and calories.
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Recipe
Beef Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef, I use lean
- ¾ cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder seasoning, or more to taste
- 4 tablespoons diced green chiles, from a can
- One 15-oz can tomato sauce
- One cup fire roasted diced or crushed tomatoes
- Two 15-oz cans beans, drained, I used kidney beans and pinto beans
- Toppings: chips, sour cream, cheese, green onions, cilantro, jalapenos, avocado
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and beef to a large pot over medium heat. Saute, breaking up with the meat, until is browned and almost cooked through. If there is an excessive amount of grease, you can drain it off. Add onions and garlic to beef, cook for another 5 minutes, until the onions have softened.
- Add chili powder, green chiles, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beans. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add 1-2 cups of water (depending on how thin you want it), simmer partially covered for 10-15 minutes. Taste and add salt, pepper, or more chili powder according to your taste preferences. Serve hot with desired toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!This post originally appeared on Real Housemoms where I am a contributor.
Jen says
I could eat chili everyday! My kids love to eat it with tortilla chips. It’s just so hearty and delicious!
Amanda says
This chili looks so tasty! Perfect for those cool nights!!
Anna says
Craving a big bowl of this chili right now! It looks just perfect!
Chrissie Baker says
Awesome Chili recipe!!..I love thinner chili and this one is the best i have had!Thank you!
Cathy says
You can’t beat an amazing bowl of chili!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This looks incredibly delicious!
Lewis Johnson says
That chili looks so perfect. I need to make it.