This is the Chili Recipe! Filled with all the classic ingredients, like beef, pork, beans, chili seasoning, tomato sauce, and more, it’s hearty, flavorful, and filling. It’s so easy to make a big batch for a crowd, or just for a cozy family dinner. A bowl of this will satisfy every craving!
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What’s in this Easy Chili Recipe?
This classic chili recipe is filled with both beef and pork, beans, and lots of other ingredients that create the most delicious dish. It’s mostly pantry staples so your shopping list won’t be too long!
- Pork Sausage Meat: Look for ground sausage meat in a roll without the casings. If you can’t find it, you can buy pork sausages and remove the casings.
- Yellow Onion: Adds an earthy flavor and a touch of sweetness. If you like red onions, I recommend saving them for a topping instead.
- Garlic: Adds an earthy flavor and a pungent aroma. If you love garlic, feel free to add more than 1 clove.
- Ground Chuck: Has more fat than ground beef, so it adds much more flavor. However, you can substitute the latter if you prefer.
- Tomato Sauce: This is the base of the saucey component.
- Diced Tomatoes: Add texture and additional flavor to the broth.
- Water: Helps thin the broth to the right consistency.
- Beans: This chili uses a combination of black beans and red kidney beans.
- Vinegar: The acid in vinegar helps to balance everything out and brighten up the flavor for a finishing touch. You can use any kind of vinegar or cider vinegar.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This is tangy, salty, and sweet all in one, so it adds a nice overall flavor.
- Chili Seasoning: Make your own chili seasoning if you don’t have any on hand. It’s a mix of chili powder, paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, and a few other herbs and spices.
- Ketchup: This is a great way to enhance the flavor, as it contains both sugar and vinegar (sweet and acidic).
- Yellow Mustard: Mustard adds tanginess to the flavor.
- Salt + Pepper: Enhances the natural flavors of the dish.
Pro Tip: Don’t skip the vinegar! It really makes this chili pop!
Variations on Homemade Chili
The great thing about chili is how endlessly adaptable it is! There are so many different kinds of chili, and different cultures make it differently. This is my personal favorite recipe, but try some of these popular variations to make it your own.
Try swapping out the beef and pork for turkey and/or chicken for a healthier, lighter option. For vegetarian chili, omit the meat and add more beans, lentils, or even tofu! Or get adventurous and try chili made with buffalo meat or seafood!
For a Texas-style chili con carne, omit the beans and pork. and for Cincinnati chili, serve it over a bed of spaghetti topped with cheese, onions, and beans!
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In my opinion, the secret to perfect chili is to choose high-quality meats and add a splash of vinegar to round out the flavor!
I like to use ground chuck because it’s fattier and more flavorful than regular ground beef. Pork sausage adds a nice depth of flavor, but you can use all beef if you prefer.
We want our chili to be nice and thick! So keep simmering until it really thickens up. If it’s still too watery and thin after about an hour, add a flour or cornstarch slurry to thicken it up. To do this, mix cornstarch or flour with cold water, and then mix that into the pot of chili.
I used black and red (kidney) beans, but pinto beans are also a great choice!
Yes, you definitely want to drain the beans first. Otherwise all that extra liquid will thin out the chili too much.
Vinegar brightens up the final product, rounding out the taste. You won’t taste the vinegar, but you’ll definitely notice a difference when you add it!
Let chili simmer with the lid off. This allows liquid to escape as it cooks down and thickens. The lid would keep extra moisture in, which could lead to watery chili.
The longer chili simmers on the stove top, the thicker it will get and the more the ingredients will meld together. That means, yes, a longer cook time means more flavor. But usually an hour is plenty of time, or until it reaches your desired consistency.
How to Store and Reheat
Let the beef chili cool to room temperature before storing. Then, place it in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The flavor really intensifies as it “marinates” in the fridge, so it’ll taste even better the next day.
Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring often, until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Place leftovers in airtight, freezer-safe containers (or a freezer-safe resealable bag to freeze flat). It will keep in the freezer for 4-6 months. Thaw it in the fridge and then reheat it to eat!
Serving Suggestions
This classic, hearty, homemade chili is plenty filling on its own. I always add some cornbread, dinner rolls, or hearty sandwich bread to go along with it.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try making baked chili dogs or chili mac and cheese!
Chili Recipe
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Ingredients
- 16 ounces pork sausage meat casings removed
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 pounds ground chuck
- 8 ounces tomato sauce (1 can)
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 cup water
- 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed (1 can)
- 15 ounces red beans drained and rinsed (1 can)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ounce chili seasoning store-bought or homemade
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional Toppings
- chopped onions
- hot sauce
- sliced jalapeños
- shredded cheese
- crackers
- sour cream
- fresh cilantro
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and crumble as it cooks. When almost fully browned, add the onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Drain oil if necessary and set aside.16 ounces pork sausage meat, ½ cup yellow onion, 1 clove garlic
- Place ground chuck in a Dutch oven and use a wooden utensil to crumble. Cover completely with water. Bring water to a boil and boil the meat until brown. Drain the beef in a colander and return to the dutch oven.2 pounds ground chuck
- Add the sausage and onion mixture to the ground chuck and stir to combine.
- Mix in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, both types of beans, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chili seasoning, ketchup, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.8 ounces tomato sauce, 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes, 15 ounces black beans, 15 ounces red beans, 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 ounce chili seasoning, ¼ cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 cup water
- Mix well and simmer the chili, stirring often, over medium-low heat for at least 1 hour, or until the chili has thickened and flavors meld. If it cooks down too much, you can add a bit more water.
- Serve with favorite toppings such as chopped fresh cilantro, chopped onions, cheese, crackers, hot sauce, sliced jalapenos, or a topping of your choice.chopped onions, hot sauce, sliced jalapeños, shredded cheese, crackers, sour cream, fresh cilantro
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Look for ground pork sausage meat in a roll. If you can’t find that, you can use pork sausages with their casings removed.
- Don’t skip the vinegar; it truly adds so much flavor!
- Nutritional information does not include optional toppings.
Nutrition Information
I will try it after I modify it. I would have to use Italian sausage and get rid of the black beans and use kidney beans in place of red beans. Don’t know if I would use the vinegar. either
Ok I guess first of all going to agree to disagree. Your chili recipe is probably tasty but I’m going to say to brown your meats, drain and add onion and garlic so you don’t drain away flavor. Then once your onions are translucent add your spices without any liquid yet so your chili seasonings will bloom and once the aroma hits your nose you can continue. Add your tomatoes, rinsing your cans for water. Then add beans but why rinse? Will help to thicken the chili some. Taste test. Does it need a bit more chili powder or salt? Sometimes if I need more liquid cause it’s going to simmer, I’ve used a 12oz. can of spicy V-8…makes them say that was tasty! Anyway I’ve made a lot of chili variations and dearly love my chili. Pinto beans are my favorite though too and sometimes a bit of green pepper adds nice flavor. Less is more, No ketchup or mustard, No basil, just basic flavors and you’ll attract more people. Not trying to tell you how to make your chili, just from my trial and error.
It is a passion of mine to make chili. I believe I make the beat however will be updating it with JD sausage after reading this. Let me request you try a can of original baked beans chili beans, kidney beans also sub v8 juice for tomato.. Also add green bell peppers to onions and meat while cooking. Rest is good. :)
Becky, I found this recipe on pinterest and i’m making it as i type this, the only thing is, i’m making it in a slow cooker. I don’t own a dutch oven so i browned the sausage, onion and minced garlic, drained and put in slow cooker, browned the chuck, put it in the slow cooker and mixed well, then i just added the rest of the ingredients including the cup of water, i used a 28oz can of the petite diced tomatoes and i added a tblspn of chopped basil, i’m cooking on low for 6 hours, i’ll let you know how it turns out.
What is ground chuck? Is it ground beef?
Looks yummy will def try.
If I don’t have a dutch oven how would you cook it in a crock pot?
I live in Texas and I’m making this tonight (even though it’s still hot here). It’s cooking now while we watch football…my house smells amazing and the chili looks delicious! Thank you!
This is by far my favorite chili recipe. I did not have the chili season packet, so I got a homemade chili seasoning recipe on line. I also added a little bit of brown sugar and cayenne pepper for a nice spicy/sweet kick. Awesome!
Where can I buy that chili seasoning in lakewood ohio?
If you have a Wal Mart close, they should carry it there.
I’m currently making this chili and feel like I’ve missed something. I’m assuming the cup of water is to cover the ground chuck and boil it, which I did; however, there is no liquid in my pot. I went ahead and added a cup of water to the pot thinking maybe it was just missing from the cooking directions but even then, I have almost no liquid. I followed the directions exactly as well as the measurements.