The best chili recipe is hearty, beefy and made in less than 30 minutes! This will be a hit around the family dinner table and a great recipe to add to your meal planning rotation! This is one of our family’s go to healthy comfort foods during cooler times of the year!
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This quick and easy chili is ready in less than 30 minutes using your stovetop and a few kitchen staples. Some great additions to this dinner are fluffy einkorn homemade biscuits or more traditional homemade cornbread; either served with honey butter is a great addition to this delicious dinner!
What is the secret to making the best chili recipe?
The secret is to keep the ingredients simple and traditional. Nowadays, everyone adds a lot to stand out and make it drastically different. I think the secret is simple ingredients that are well known. However, my midwestern friends would tell you that the secret to the best chili is dunking a cinnamon roll into it! If you are from the West like I am, all I have to say is that it’s worth trying!!!
What is the most important spice in chili?
Chili powder of course! You can add other spices but it won’t be chili without the chili powder. The second most important isn’t a spice but rather a seasoning: salt. It helps to enhance the flavors so much and is crucial for a good the best chili recipe as well.
What is the best meat for chili?
The best meat is ground red meat, specifically ground beef, ground venison, or ground elk. I’ve made it with those three and it turns out amazing each time. I have to admit that elk is my favorite, but definitely harder to come by.
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Is chili healthy for you?
This delicious stew is so healthy for you! Chili is packed with animal meat and beans, which give you a high protein, high fiber meal. This helps you to feel satiated longer and improves digestion with all those beans.
While some recipes out there will have you add brown sugar to sweeten it up, it is a good rule of thumb to avoid refined sugar altogether. However, if you need something sweet with your chili, I love having corn bread with honey butter on the side. We make the corn bread without refined sugar and the honey butter is naturally sweetened.
How to make the best chili
Equipment used
Ingredients
- Ground beef (can substitute ground elk or ground venison)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Celery
- Chili powder
- Smoked paprika
- Salt
- Tomato sauce
- Diced tomatoes
- Pinto beans
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
What are good toppings for chili?
Here are just a few ideas that our family has tried and loved over the years.
- Sour cream
- Greek yogurt
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Chopped green onions
- Organic yellow corn chips (these are a healthier version of Fritos)
- Organic chili cheese corn chips (these are a healthier version of Fritos)
- Bacon – is there anything that isn’t better with bacon?
What Goes Well with Chili?
- Homemade biscuits – try these fluffy soft einkorn biscuits with your next chili dinner!
- Homemade cornbread
- Honey Butter
- Cinnamon rolls – if you’re from the Midwest – you know how to live!
Steps for making the best chili recipe
This chili recipe is so easy and quick to make. I am excited for you to get dinner done quickly tonight! Prepping the veggies takes about 5 minutes, while the actual cooking takes about 20 minutes. Follow the steps in order below!
- With a large pot over medium high heat, add a little grease (about a tablespoon of either butter, lard, or olive oil).
- Once that has melted, add the ground beef.
- While the ground beef is browning, dice the onion, mince the garlic, and chop the celery.
- Add the veggies to the pot with the ground beef, continue to break up any clumps of ground beef.
- Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink, and the veggies are soft and fragrant.
- While that is finishing up, drain all the beans and rinse them thoroughly.
- Next add the chili powder, salt, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and all the beans.
- Mix intermittedly, and once the chili begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium heat.
- Allow it to cook for about 5 more minutes stirring occasionally.
- Serve with your favorite toppings and sides!
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Tips and Notes
Beans: If you are using canned beans, be sure to rinse and drain them. I like to pour out the can into a strainer and thoroughly rinse them before adding to the chili.
Thick Chili: To achieve this, I leave a lid off the pot while cooking so that any excess water can evaporate easily.
Does chili freeze well?
Absolutely it does! I love to double this meal and freeze half for later. Those later times during sickness, postpartum, or if my husband has to cook dinner for some reason (lol).
Once it has come to a cooler temp, I store in a gallon Ziplock bag. In the freezer I lay it flat. This makes it easy to store vertically once it has completely frozen. Then I have more freezer space and it it thaws much more quickly compared to freezing it as a big blob and not like a sheet of paper.
If stored properly, you can keep chili frozen for up to six months.
When we are ready to use it, it is placed in the refrigerator overnight and ready to reheat for dinner the next day!
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For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Psalm 107:9
The Best Chili Recipe in less than 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground beef (can substitute ground elk or ground venison)
- 1 small Onion yellow
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 stick Celery diced thinly
- 2 Tbsp Chili powder organic
- 1 Tbsp Smoked paprika organic
- 2 tsp Salt redmond's real salt
- 1 can Tomato sauce organic
- 1 can Diced tomatoes organic
- 1 can Pinto beans organic
- 1 can Black beans organic
- 1 can Kidney beans organic
Instructions
- With a large pot over medium high heat, add a little grease (about a tablespoon of either butter, lard, or olive oil).
- Once that has melted, add 1 lb Ground beef .
- While the ground beef is browning, dice the 1 small Onion, mince the 4 cloves Garlic, and chop the 1 stick Celery.
- Add the veggies to the pot with the ground beef, continue to break up any clumps of ground beef.
- Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink, and the veggies are soft and fragrant.
- While that is finishing up, drain 1 can Pinto beans, 1 can Black beans, and 1 can Kidney beans then rinse them thoroughly.
- Next add the 2 Tbsp Chili powder, 1 Tbsp Smoked paprika, 2 tsp Salt, 1 can Tomato sauce, 1 can Diced tomatoes, and all the rinsed beans.
- Mix intermittedly, and once the chili begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium heat.
- Allow it to cook for about 5 more minutes stirring occasionally.
- Serve with your favorite toppings and sides!
Notes
-
- Sour cream
- Greek yogurt
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Chopped green onions
- Organic yellow corn chips (these are a healthier version of Fritos)
- Organic chili cheese corn chips (these are a healthier version of Fritos)
- Bacon – is there anything that isn’t better with bacon?
-
- Homemade biscuits
- Homemade cornbread
- Honey Butter
- Cinnamon rolls
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