The Best chili is the perfect dinner for those cold, breezy autumn days. Days where you want something warm and comforting but also quick and easy to make.
This chili is filled with wholesome pantry ingredients – grass-fed ground beef, homemade chicken broth, red bell peppers, and a few spices. Fresh chopped tomatoes would also be a perfect addition!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.
How to make The Best Chili
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Start by heating vegetable oil or ghee in a medium-sized pot and browning the beef. Remove the meat from the pot so you can saute the other vegetables.
- Saute the onions and red bell peppers until soft and just starting to brown.
- Then add the chopped garlic, cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, and paprika, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes to awaken the flavor of the spices.
- Return the browned meat to the pot, then add a can of tomato sauce and/ or 2 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes. Cover the pot then cook the tomato sauce for 10 minutes to get rid of the bitter canned tomato taste. Next, add the bay leaf and the chicken broth. I have a recipe for homemade chicken broth, check it out if you want to try it!
- Let the chili simmer for about 30 minutes so all the flavors can combine. Add the cooked red beans and cook for another 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Serving suggestions: Rosemary Polenta cornbread.
Toppings Suggestions: Grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, or green onions.
Looking For More Recipes?
If you love this recipe, leave a review and a ⭐️ 5-star rating or 📌 save it to Pinterest for later. Subscribe to The Midwest Kitchen Blog’s Newsletter for more recipes like this delivered straight to your inbox!
Visit our sister site for more delicious recipes at Matcha and Kale.
The Best Chili
Equipment
- Medium-sized pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 ½ cup cooked red kidney beans
- 1 (15) oz can of tomato sauce and/or 2 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 chopped red bell pepper optional
Seasonings
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a medium-size pot. Brown the beef, then remove from the pot and set aside.
- In the same pot, at the onions and saute for 10 minutes, until it just starts to brown, then add the red bell peppers. Cook until they just start to soften, 5 minutes.
- Return the beef to the pot with the onions and peppers, and add all the spices- ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, ground paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Toast the spices with the veggies for 30 seconds to 1 minute to awaken the spices.
- Add the tomato sauce, and cook for 10 minutes to take the bitter taste out of the tomato sauce.
- Add the bay leaf, and chicken broth to the chili and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add the red beans and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Adjust salt and seasoning as needed, then enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
