The Best Chili Recipe

This Chili recipe is so delicious, made with bacon, ground beef, vegetables, beans, and a perfect combination of spices to make chili seasoning. This perfectly comforting and classic dish makes a great weekend dinner. Make a big batch of it because chili is even better reheated than it is freshly made. 

Chili is also a great dish to serve at football parties and my Boozy Chili is a perfect choice for that. Turkey Chili is a great healthy option for a protein loaded and lean dinner. No matter what chili you make, don’t forget to serve some homemade cornbread with it.

Why It’s Best Cold Weather Food

Would anyone be surprised if I said that beef chili is my kid’s favorite dish? I am still surprised, especially since it is baby girl’s absolute favorite thing to eat. Yes, my 16-month old loves chili more than anything.

I am more than happy to spend a couple of hours making a big batch of chili for the family. Chili is a healthy dish because it’s made with lean meat, vegetables, and beans. It’s loaded with protein, fiber, and iron.

Besides tasting great, I like adding beans to my chili because it does have great nutritional value. So if you’re debating whether to add beans to chili or not, I say go for it!

Now, my Texas friends, don’t come after me for putting beans in the chili. I know that the original Chili Con Carne is made with meat and chilis and many Texans stay true to the original chili recipe. On the other hand, the idea of putting beans in the chili has been around for a long time now and in a way, it’s just as classic as the original way.

Tradition or not, when it comes to cooking for yourself and the family, we all do what we like best. And of course, what tastes the best.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

1. Sear the bacon and ground beef. Sear diced bacon first, until it’s mostly done and add ground beef. Beak it up as much as you can and mix and cook until most of the meat had turned dark. Take it all out of the pot and set aside.

2. Sauté veggies. Add a little more oil if needed and sauté onions and peppers until mostly softened. Once softened, make room for minced garlic and sauté until garlic is fragrant. Mix everything and add back the meats.

3. Beans, tomatoes, and seasoning. Drain beans and add them to the pot. Add can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and all the seasoning. Mix everything very well and stir in the beef stock.

4. Cook! Bring the chili to a low boil and then lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid but leave a small crack for the steam to escape. Cook on low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remember to stir from time to time!

How To Make It In A Crock Pot

Slow cooker lovers will be happy to know that chili recipe can just as easily be made in a Crock Pot.

Begin by browning bacon in a cooking pan, over medium heat. Add ground beef, break it all up, and cook until beef is browned. Transfer beef and bacon mixture into a Crock Pot.

In the same pan where you cooked beef, add onions, peppers, and jalapeno. Sauté veggies until softened and add smashed and minced garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and transfer veggie mixture onto the Crock Pot as well.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, broth, and seasoning to the Crock Pot. Stir everything well, cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours. (Open and stir about once an hour.)

Freezing Instructions:

You will be happy to know that you can easily freeze chili.

After chili is cooked, you will want to cool it as quickly as possible if you plan to freeze it. This will give bacteria less chance to build and extend the shelf life of food. The best way to cool chili quickly is to place the pot of chili into a larger container filled with ice and make sure to stir it from time to time as it cools.

Once it cools, portion it into smaller freezer bags, let all the air out, and close it well. Remember to label and date. Lay the bags flat on the cutting board and freeze. Chili can be frozen for up to 6 months.

To Thaw: Make sure to slow-thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Creating a Chili Bar

1. If you’re making chili for a game day, creating a chili bar is an awesome idea. Chili bar is basically a spread of awesome chili and an array of toppings that people can use for their chili.

2. Make sure to keep chili warm, so keeping it in a Crock Pot is a good idea even if you didn’t cook it in it.

3. Set out plenty of bowls and extra spoons so each topping option can have its own spoon.

4. There are many topping options like:

• cheese
• sour cream
• diced jalapeno peppers, onion, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, green onions
• crackers, tortilla strips, pretzels
• dried chick peas

Variations You’ll Love:

Meat – you can use just ground beef or mix ground beef and ground pork. You can also go for a leaner meat and just use ground turkey.

Spicier – Love it spicy? Use spicier peppers like serrano or habanero. Your chili will also be spicier if you keep the seeds in jalapenos or other peppers.

Add more veggies – feel free to load your chili with veggies like carrots, more bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, and avocado for topping.

Vegetarian Chili

Turkey Chili

White Chicken Chili

Instant Pot Chili