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One of my family’s favorite dinners is chili. Why? Because of the toppings bar! They love putting their own toppings on their own bowls. This Beef Chili has been our go-to lately! It’s so flavorful, thanks to fire-roasted tomatoes and plenty of chili powder.
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Unlike a lot of chili recipes, this ground beef chili comes together quickly (not gonna take hours of simmering to get max flavor)! It’s perfect for weeknights but also delicious and great for serving a crowd of friends on gameday.
The chili starts by cooking aromatics (onion, bell pepper, garlic, and chipotle chile!) until everything is super fragrant. The spices and beef are added, then the tomatoes and beans. The beef chili only needs about 20 minutes of simmering before it’s ready to be served and topped! If you have a little extra time, I love eating this chili with cornbread, but tortilla chips are also delicious.
Recipe At a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
Dietary Info: Dairy-free
Key Flavor: Tomatoey, just a little spicy, and savory (thanks to the ground beef!)
Skill Level: Easy
Why This Is So Good
- Make-ahead: This chili honestly tastes better the next day! The flavor develops more overnight.
- Makes great leftovers: Because of the above point, this ground beef chili makes excellent leftovers. I love a bowl of it for lunch, but leftover chili is also a perfect topping for nachos!
- Freezer-friendly: Homemade chili is one of the few ready-made foods I love to always keep in my freezer. It tastes just as good as the day you made it.
Ingredients to Make Ground Beef Chili
- Olive oil: This adds flavor and helps the chili’s ingredients cook!
- Onion: I like to use yellow or white onion. Make sure to dice the onion so it cooks quickly and evenly!
- Bell pepper: Like the onion, the bell pepper will need to be diced!
- Garlic: Make sure to mince the garlic so it mixes in well with the rest of the aromatics!
- Chipotle pepper in adobo: These are canned chiles. They’re actually smoked, dried, and rehydrated jalapeños!
- Chili powder and cumin: These both add so much flavor. I like to make my own chili powder, but store-bought is fine too.
- Ground beef: Any fat percentage of ground beef will work in this recipe! I prefer lean ground beef.
- Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes: These have a smoky, lightly charred flavor! If you can’t find them, substitute regular crushed tomatoes.
- Diced tomatoes with green chiles: Using diced canned tomatoes and green chiles cuts down on a whole lot of chopping.
- Kidney beans or black beans: Either works! Sometimes, I like to use one can of kidney beans and one can of black beans.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Add more veggies. You could double the amount of bell pepper, add fresh chopped kale, or stir frozen corn or spinach into the ground beef chili. Some people even like to add small quarters of carrots to their chili.
- Make it spicier. An easy way to add more spice to this beef chili with kidney beans is to stir in a tablespoon or two of the canned adobo sauce. It packs some heat! You could also mince and add another chipotle chile.
- Cut the beans. You could always add more veggies or beef and leave out the beans entirely.
- Add a little cocoa powder along with the spices. This adds such a complex flavor—trust me! Just a tablespoon or so is all you need.
How to Make Ground Beef Chili
A good beef and bean chili is the ultimate one-pot meal. Every step is about building maximum flavor!
Tips for Making the Best Easy Beef Chili Recipe
- Customize the spice level. Chipotle adds a smokiness and a decent amount of heat to the chili. If you’re sensitive to spice, swap the chipotle for 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika instead.
- Swap the protein. I like the taste of lean ground beef in this recipe, but you could easily swap it for ground chicken or turkey.
- Taste the chili powder first. Store-bought chili powders can have wildly different spice levels! Some are very mild, while others are super hot. I recommend tasting it first before adding it to the ground beef chili.
- Drain and rinse the beans well. This gets rid of the viscous (sometimes salty and metallic!) liquid the beans are canned in. You don’t want any of that getting into your chili! Rinse the beans until they’re no longer foamy, and the water runs clear. I recommend a colander or fine mesh strainer for this!
What to Serve With Beef Chili
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the beef chili in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat it, I like to do so in the microwave or on the stovetop (adding a little water as necessary since the chili will thicken as it cools).
Yes! Make sure to thaw it first, though. I like to thaw beef in the fridge overnight.
You absolutely can. Let the chili cool, then transfer it to an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to 3 months! Let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat.
More Hearty Soup and Chili Recipes:
- Sweet Potato Chili
- Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
- Vegan Lentil Chili
- Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
- Lebanese Crushed Lentil Soup
- Fresh Corn Chowder
If you try this feel good Beef Chili recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Beef Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 bell pepper seeded and diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 (28-ounce can) fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 (10-ounce can) diced tomatoes with chiles
- 2 (14.5-ounce cans) kidney beans (or black beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup water
Optional toppings:
- Greek yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, green onions
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed deep pot, add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Once shimmering, add onion and bell pepper and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened and the onion is translucent.
- Add garlic and chipotle and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt,and pepper and cook 1-2 minutes or until the spices begin to toast and smell fragrant. Add the beef and break up with a spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until no longer pink.
- Add the tomatoes, beans and water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, then cover and cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the chili has thickened.
- Taste the chili, adding a pinch more salt and pepper as needed. Top with optional toppings and serve warm.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Turned out delicious. I subbed chipotle with 1 chopped jalapeño. Will def be making it again
Yay, so glad you liked it! Thank you, Sumreen!!
I made this last night and it was “so good!” Seriously, I loved it!
Yay, so glad you liked it!! Thank you!
Hi! Can this be done in the instant pot?
I haven’t made this recipe in the Instant Pot yet but I’m sure it would work great!