The definition of a hug in a bowl is a hearty bowl of chili! The leftovers taste even better and it’s so filling with the well-seasoned ground beef and beans. Enjoy with some chips, cheese, and sour cream for the best dinner experience ever.
I’ve been perfecting my chili recipe for some time now and it’s now one of my husband’s favorite recipes of mine for dinner. I first shared it over on Youtube if you prefer to watch a longer tutorial and now I’m sharing on the blog because it’s just that good. Let’s get into it!
How to Make the Chili
To a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and unsalted butter. Once the butter is melted, add the diced red bell pepper, jalapeño, and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. I take out the seeds from the jalapeño so it’s not too spicy but if you want a kick, keep the seeds in.
Then add the ground beef to the pot along with the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and cayenne powder. Break up the ground beef as it cooks and brown it for a few minutes.
Once the ground beef is cooked, add the beef broth, brown sugar, roasted diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix all together, bring to a boil, then drop the heat, cover, and let it simmer for 35 to 45 minutes.
After that, take off the lid and add the beans. Mix and cover again to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
Finish off by adding the cilantro and mixing together. Taste and adjust anything to your liking! If you’d like it spicer, add cayenne powder.
Serve in a bowl and optional to garnish with green onions, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon, or more cilantro. You can also add a squeeze of lime or Tapatio on top and dip some corn chips to enjoy!
What to Do With the Leftovers
The best part about chili is actually the leftovers if there are any! When I make this recipe, it’s only for my husband and I so we have tons of leftovers and we actually look forward to them. It’s like lasagna where the longer it sits, the more the flavors really develop.
So if you have leftovers, just transfer them to an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. When you want to enjoy it again, you can either reheat it in a pot over the stove or just pop a bowl of it in the microwave!
Variations of the Chili
There are so many ways to switch up this chili recipe and all are delicious! It just depends on your taste and preferences but here are some to consider trying:
- Add pinto beans to the mix along with black beans and kidney beans.
- Cook some beef bacon and add it directly to the chili instead of as a topping.
- Add corn to the mix or any other vegetables instead of ground beef.
- For a lighter version, use ground turkey instead of ground beef.
- To make a fall inspired version, you can add pieces of cubed butternut squash.
How to Make it Vegetarian
To make it vegetarian, simply skip out on the ground beef. You can use a meat substitute like impossible meat, soy chorizo, or just replace it with more beans. You can also swap the beef broth for vegetable broth!
If you tried this recipe and loved it, drop by down below and let me know how you liked it with a rating and comment! Feel free to also leave a question there about this recipe and I’ll get right back to it.
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The Best Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 whole red bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeño, deseeded and diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- pinch of cayenne powder, to taste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 to 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
- To a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and unsalted butter. Once the butter is melted, add the diced red bell pepper, jalapeño, and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Then add the ground beef to the pot along with the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and cayenne powder. Break up the ground beef as it cooks and brown it for a few minutes.
- Once the ground beef is cooked, add the beef broth, brown sugar, roasted diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix all together, bring to a boil, then drop the heat, cover, and let it simmer for 35 to 45 minutes.
- After that, take off the lid and add the beans. Mix and cover again to cook for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Finish off by adding the cilantro and mixing together. Taste and adjust anything to your liking!
- Serve in a bowl and optional to garnish with green onions, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon, or more cilantro. You can also add a squeeze of lime on top and dip some corn chips to enjoy!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you make this recipe, leave a comment below and let me know how it turns out. I love hearing from you!
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