Our Favorite Easy Chili Recipe
First I need to apologize, because this meal—this super easy chili recipe—is one of our favorites, and I’ve never officially posted it on here before now. When I say it’s one of our favorites I mean that if there’s even a hint of cool weather outside, you’ll find this chili on our menu at least twice a month.
And when I say that it’s easy, I’m not kidding. It comes together in a jiffy minutes, but tastes like its simmered all day long. The fast cooking time makes it ideal for busy nights.
The amount of time it took to find a chili recipe that our whole family loved took way longer than I expected—all chilis are definitely not created equal. I started my hunt for a delicious and easy chili recipe years ago—always disappointed with them for one reason or another.
The flavors pop in a way that screams comfort, and it’s thick enough that it’s a chili and not a soup (like so many I tested and tried turned out to be).
Super Easy Chili Recipe
I hope you’ll love this as much as we love it. It’s truly one of our favorite meals and one I’m sure everyone will eat.
This one, tweaked so much to our liking, is a definite keeper and gets two thumbs up from all five members in this family (no easy feat now that the kids are getting older and pickier).
The version below is not spicy...because we have wimpy kids. If you want some heat, add the optional jalapeños, or do like we do and add red pepper flakes to your own individual serving.
Super Easy Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 lb ground meat I like a mix of beef & turkey
- 3 TBS chili powder
- 1 TBS garlic powder
- 2 TBS cumin
- 1/2 TBS salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 cup beer the darker the better
- 14 oz can tomato sauce 1 can
- 28 oz petite diced tomatoes 1 can
- 14 oz chili beans 1 can
- 14 oz pinto or black bean 1 can
- Toppings: avocado cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions
- *OPTIONAL: 2 jalapeños seeded and finely diced
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot on medium and add oil. Once oil is shimmering, add onion and bell pepper and sauté until soft and all the water has sweated out. Add garlic*; stir a couple minutes until fragrant. *If making it spicy, add jalapenos here.
- Push veggies to the sides of the pot; add the meat. Crumble the meat and cook until mostly brown. Once the majority of the meat is no longer pink, add spices. Stir until well combined and meat starts to sear a bit. Slowly add in the beer. The beer will bubble; let it absorb into the meat.
- Once the beer has reduced, pour in tomato sauce, tomatoes, and beans. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Our Three Favorite Ways to Eat This Chili
The first night we have chili for dinner we bust out the Fritos and sprinkle them on top/mix it into the chili. Or, if you’re like our kids, you can use the Fritos as “spoons” and scoop out the chili for bites.
Of course, one of my favorites things about this easy chili recipe is eating it for leftovers. There’s always enough for at least another meal—another reason why it’s popular around here; it’s the meal that keeps on feeding us, making it perfect for busy nights.
Our family’s favorite way to eat it a second time during the week is over spaghetti. Apparently this way is called Cincinnati Chili, but since I’ve never stepped foot inn Cincinnati, I’ll just have to trust the Internet with that one. Either way, try topping plain spaghetti with chili, onions, and cheddar cheese, and thank me later.
How to Freeze this Easy Chili for Later
This chile recipe makes so much that it’s a perfect freezer meal. Whip it up just as the directions indicate, and freeze whatever you don’t eat in a freezer-safe bag. (Let the chili cool down before pouring it into a bag, and I highly recommend double bagging it.)
Tools to Help You Make this Simple Chili
One of the things that makes this chili easy is by having the right tools to get the job done.
Dutch Oven, Adjustable Measuring Spoons, Mix ‘n Chop, Flexible Cutting Mats, Food Chopper
Tell Me About It!
If you make this chili, let me know what you think in the comments!
I haven’t tried it yet, but I love having different recipes for chili! I love finding others that eat it with spaghetti! We just call it Chili Spaghetti. We eat if for multiple dinner nights as well. Usually the first night is chili spaghetti and then leftovers are either Frito pies or chili dogs. I’ve heard of Cincinnati Chili and have made it once, but usually that includes adding cinnamon and maybe another ingredient that is not in normal chili (don’t remember) and it does taste different that regular chili recipes.