Here it is, the best easy chili recipe made with ground beef. With just one pot or dutch oven and a few simple ingredients and seasonings, you have a hearty meal for any night of the week.
Growing up my father was the Chili maker in our house and he made the best classic chili with just a few simple ingredients. He always said the secret was to use ground beef that has enough fat, a good choice is to use an 80% lean beef with 20% fat.
Chili tastes even better the next day or even a few hours later in the day, so make a pot of chili on a Sunday morning and reheat for Sunday dinner.
Cooking the Chili in a dutch oven makes this recipe a simple one-pan meal.
Ingredients
What you need:
- vegetable oil
- onion
- green bell pepper
- garlic
- ground beef
- cayenne powder
- chili powder
- can kidney beans
- can diced tomatoes
- can tomato sauce
- lime juice
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat oil in a 3-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat and saute the onions, green pepper, and garlic until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and using a wooden spoon break up the meat, then add the cayenne powder and chili powder, cook the ground beef thoroughly stirring occasionally to brown and cook evenly.
- Add the kidney beans, diced tomatoes, lime juice, and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Sprinkle the red pepper flakes over the chili. Lower heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes
What to Serve with Chili?
Top your Chili with a dollop of sour cream and serve freshly baked cornbread on the side. Simple, Classic, and Easy.
Another way I love to serve chili is to make chili burritos, use a large flour tortilla and fill with Chili then top with sour cream and avocado. Roll up the filled tortilla the same way you would a burrito. So Yummy!!
Classic Chili Recipe for Two
The Best Classic Chili – This simple chili recipe uses just one pan and a few simple ingredients and seasonings.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound ground beef (20 percent fat)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1–1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (5 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat oil in a 3 quart dutch oven over medium-high heat and saute the onions, green pepper and garlic until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and using a wooden spoon break up the meat, then add the cayenne powder and chili powder, cook the ground beef thoroughly stirring occasionally to brown and cook evenly.
- Add the kidney beans, diced tomatoes, lime juice, and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Sprinkle the red pepper flakes over the chili. Lower heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes
Notes
Serve with warm cornbread or flour tortillas.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 618Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 1043mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 14gSugar: 13gProtein: 45g
The nutritional information provided here are estimates and are not calculated by a registered dietitian.
Zoe
Really easy make ahead recipe.