Homemade Chili Recipe

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You’ll never need another Chili Recipe again! This is the most basic, family-friendly, veggie-filled, delicious, one-pot chili recipe ever. Perfect with cornbread or Corn Casserole.

Homemade Chili Recipe | The Best!

I love a good and comforting chili recipe, especially during the colder months of the year, and this one will not disappoint. This particular recipe is filled with ground beef, lots of beans, a whole lot of veggies, and is cooked down into a thick and flavorful stew. Never need another Chili Recipe again! This is the most basic, family-friendly, veggie-filled, delicious, one-pot chili recipe there ever was!! Enjoy plain or with cheese, avocados, sour cream, or any other topping you like.

Main Ingredients Needed

• Olive Oil, Onion + Garlic – three ingredients that start this recipe off on the right foot.
• Carrots, Celery + Zucchini – three veggies I sneak into this dish for flavor and nutrition.
• Ground Beef + Beef Stock – these two add protein and depth of flavor. If you are looking to make this vegetarian leave out the beef and replace the stock with vegetable stock.
• Diced Tomatoes + Tomato Sauce – these two are canned to make things easier.
• Black + Pinto Beans – because beans are so hearty and stand up so well to hours of cooking as well as all these spices, just about any kind of bean is fine. Use what you have! I used pinto and black beans.
• Corn – I used frozen but you can absolutely add canned corn. Be sure to drain before adding though.
• Salt + Pepper – don’t forget to season!
• Cumin + Chili Powder – I keep it simple (and mild!) with just two seasonings. If you’d like to add more heat or more depth of flavor, try cayenne pepper, cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes or even cocoa powder.

Bean Substitutes

The classic bean found in almost every chili recipe is the red kidney bean, but here are a few others that would be great substitutes:

• white beans
• garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• red beans
• white kidney beans (cannellini beans)
• butter beans
• pinto beans
• black beans

When cooking with any canned bean, be sure to drain and rinse well for the best results.

How to Make Chili | Directions

This recipe is a simple ‘chop and drop’ kind of recipe. You chop your veggies, add in your beef, season well. Dump in your cans of beans, cans of tomatoes, and beef broth. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and cook as long as you can. Stir in some frozen corn for an added bonus and enjoy! For full recipe details, scroll down to the bottom of this post for the printable recipe card.

Step 1: Sauté Veggies

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and zucchini until slightly softened, 5 minutes.

Step 2: Add Meat + Remaining Ingredients

Drop meat into the pot and break apart using a wooden spoon. Cook until meat is cooked thoroughly and brown. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer at least 20 minutes but up to 3 hours. If you notice chili is getting too thick or is sticking to the bottom of the pot, add in an extra splash of water or beef stock. I love using a heavy-bottomed dutch oven for this recipe. It retains heat well and usually doesn’t burn.

Step 3: Top With Desired Toppings

Serve with desired toppings and/or cornbread.

How To Thicken Chili

If you cook chili long enough, you won’t need to thicken it at all. The longer it simmers, the thicker and more flavorful it will become. No need to use flour or cornstarch.

If you are wanting to thicken up the broth, try adding in one tablespoon of cornmeal to your chili recipe and simmering for an hour.

What to Serve With Chili

There are so many things that pair perfectly with this best chili recipe! Things like homemade rolls, biscuits or cornbread are perfect. A buttery corn casserole would also be delicious.

Favorite Toppings

Man oh man, when I make this Chili recipe, I love to load on the toppings! Here are some of our favorites:

• tortilla chips
• doritos
• grated cheddar cheese
• avocado slices
• guacamole
• sour cream
• diced onion
• cilantro
• lime wedges
• shredded lettuce
• hot sauce (if that’s your thing)

More Chili Recipes to Love!

• No Bean Chili
• Chili Mac Recipe
• White Chicken Chili

I hope you love this chili recipe and make it soon! Below is the printable recipe card. Enjoy, friends! 🙂