The Best Easy Homemade Chili
- PREP 10min
- COOK 45min
- TOTAL 55min
We love this easy chili recipe with ground beef and beans cooked in a hearty and flavorful sauce. With our recipe, you can make a pot of delicious chili in about one hour! Feel free to swap the beef for another ground meat like turkey, chicken, or pork. We recommend keeping some fat in the meat, so look for ground meat with 10% to 20% fat.
You Will Need
1 pound ground beef, 10% to 20% fat
1 large white onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced, one heaping tablespoon
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder blend, see notes
1 tablespoon pure ancho chili powder, see notes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle powder, optional for heat
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, pureed, see notes
1 ½ to 2 cups stock, use vegetable, chicken, or beef
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, kidney beans, or chili beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon masa harina or 1 to 2 small corn tortillas torn into small pieces, optional
Salt, to taste, we add 1 to ½ teaspoons
Directions
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large pot (like a Dutch oven). Add the ground meat and flatten it down into the oil. Wait a minute or two, or until the underside of the beef has browned, and then use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart into smaller crumbles. Cook, occasionally stirring, until the meat is well browned, about 7 minutes.
Add the onions, and cook, occasionally stirring, until they begin to sweat and soften, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne (or chipotle powder), and 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Cook for one minute.
Pour in the tomatoes and 1 ½ cups of stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to lift any bits of onion or meat that’s stuck. Bring the chili to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and then cook, partially covered, for 15 minutes. If you notice the chili is dry, turn the heat down a little and add an extra 1/2 cup of stock.
Taste the chili, and then add salt as needed. We typically add another 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon but add to your taste.
Stir in the beans and cook until they are warmed through, about 5 minutes.
Mix the tablespoon of masa with three tablespoons of water into a smooth paste, and then stir into the chili. If you are using corn tortillas instead of the masa paste, tear the tortillas into small pieces, and then stir into the chili. After a minute or so, the tortillas will disintegrate into the chili.
Take the chili off of the heat, and then serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Chili Powder Blend vs. Ancho Chili Powder: Spice jars sold in stores labeled “chili powder” combine a few spices to make the blend. You can also use our homemade chili powder blend. We enjoy it, but find that this chili is best when we also add pure ancho chili powder. We buy McCormick’s ancho chili powder. Ancho chili powder is mild, fruity, and sweet. It’s completely different than the plain chili powder blend I just mentioned. We use it a lot in our recipes and highly recommend picking up a jar. You can also make your own by toasting and then blending dried ancho chilies. If you only have a chili powder blend and no ancho chili powder, leave out the ancho chili powder and use 1 ½ tablespoons of regular chili powder. Taste and adjust with more as needed.
- Tomatoes: For the best texture, use pureed tomatoes. I buy one (15-ounce) can of diced tomatoes, and then blend them into a puree. If you would prefer to skip this step, use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce instead. Alternatively, you can buy a larger can of pureed tomatoes and only use about 2 cups of it.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. We used 1 teaspoon of salt in our calculations and assumed a generous serving (about 1/4 of the pot).