Simple Chili Recipe

This Simple Chili Recipe is the most basic and veggie-tastic recipe for chili there ever was!! SO easy and SO good!

I had a hankering for chili since Boise has had some chilly weather and on-again-off-again rain. So, I pulled up my recipe for chili from 2010 and the photo was completely old and outdated (and ugly).

So, I updated all these photos to prove/convince you that this really is a recipe worth making. My recipe calls for a bunch of veggies and I am more that ok loading on the toppings. If ever there were a recipe that required you to hide “gross” vegetable tastes and textures from little palates, this would be it. Everything cooks together and tastes the same. It’s really the perfect plan. Mwahahaha.

Read my Recipe Tips at the bottom of this post for more ideas and tricks.

Original Post from 09/08/2010

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I cannot tell you how good it feels to be home and back into the daily grind. Don’t get me wrong, I love being on vacation but sometimes it’s good to be home!

Yesterday for dinner, I decided to make some plain ol’ chili–not my usual white chicken chili (which is my husband’s favorite). Well, this chili was absolutely delicious and such a nice change from out usual not to mention pretty healthful. You can have this done and ready to go after 30 minutes or so, but the longer you let this cook the better it gets and the deeper the flavors. I let mine cook about 2 hours on low.   Anyways, this recipe is pretty basic and on my ‘go to’ list for ease. You do have to chop a few veggies, but after that, you just open a few cans and dump them into your pot. Super simple!

So make sure to add a few ingredients to your grocery list and make this soon! You’ll be glad you did!

Recipe Links and Tips

(Some affiliate links below)

I add in lots of veggies to this recipe because I CAN. It’s a strongly flavored 1-pot dinner and as those veggies cook, they absorb those flavors. It’s delicious!!

The recipe also calls for 1/2 lb. ground beef. I only had half a pound when I first developed this. If you are big into the protein or you’re trying to appease a big meat eater, add in the full pound.

Use a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven for cooking. It will give you nice even heat. This is the one I have and used for this recipe.

Because this recipe calls for so many chopped veggies, using a big cutting board makes things easier! Chop, move it to the side. Mine is nearly identical to this one.

This recipe would work well in the crockpot; just make sure you cook it long enough to soften those carrots and cook the meat. Of course you can brown the meat ahead, and save ab hour or so of cooking time too 🙂

5 from 6 votes

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Simple Chili

The most basic and veggie-tastic recipe for chili there ever was!! SO easy and SO good!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 371 kcal

Author Lauren Brennan

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 medium carrots diced
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 1 medium zucchini diced
• 2 large carrots diced
• 1/2 lb. ground beef 93% lean
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1-15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1-15 oz. can black beans drained & rinsed
• 1-15 oz. can pinto beans drained & rinsed
• 1 1/4 cup frozen corn
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• toppings: grated cheddar cheese chopped cilantro, sour cream, avocados, lime juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, carrots and celery until slightly softened, 5 minutes.
2. Drop meat into pot and break apart using a wooden spoon. Cook until meat is cooked thoroughly and browned. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer at least 20 minutes but up to 3 hours.
3. Serve with desired toppings and cornbread.

Nutrition Facts

Simple Chili

Amount Per Serving

Calories 371 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 23g 35%

Saturated Fat 6g 30%

Cholesterol 40mg 13%

Sodium 351mg 15%

Potassium 974mg 28%

Total Carbohydrates 28g 9%

Dietary Fiber 6g 24%

Sugars 6g

Protein 15g 30%

Vitamin A 220.4%

Vitamin C 24.7%

Calcium 8.4%

Iron 21.2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Other chili recipes you might like:

Skinny White Chicken Chili

Bean-Free Turkey Chili

Healthy Turkey Chili

Cheesy Turkey Chili Mac