This beef chili is pretty simple, but it has it all! It starts with ground beef, then sautéed onions, bell peppers, some jalapeños, some spices, and lastly, beans. I think everyone needs a good chili recipe on hand, and this one is it for me.

My brother was looking for a recipe for a chili cook-off he was entered into, so I sent him this one for bean and beef chili. Apparently, he ended up winning! I’m sure he made a couple tweaks of his own, but I certainly encourage you to do the same and add more of what you like! This is a great recipe to put your own twist on it, and really fine-tune it to what you like. Chili is super forgiving, and also really hard to mess up (I know, a recipe blog telling you to actually not follow the recipe)

Some ideas of what you could add in…

• A few scoops of jarred salsa to the sautéed onions
• Soy sauce can add some depth of flavor
• Adobo sauce from jarred chilies in adobo for extra spice
• Barbecue sauce or ketchup can add extra sweetness
• You really can’t go wrong with using any type of beans

Recipe Details:

Beef and Bean Chili

This chili is pretty simple, but it has it all! It starts with ground beef, then sautéed onions, bell peppers, and some spicy jalapeños. Beans get added, and then the chili simmers for some time to let all the flavors come together. From start to finish, this recipe takes just an hour, but if you have a little extra time- its worth it!

Author: Claire Jaspers

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Cook Time 60 mins Total Time 1 hr Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Servings

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1.5 lb ground beef (or more)
• ¹⁄₂ tsp salt
• 1 onion (diced)
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• ¹⁄₂ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 bell pepper (diced)
• 1 jalapeño (minced)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cup chicken broth (or other stock)
• 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 16-ounce can tomato sauce
• 2 can red beans
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt (to taste)
• Sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips (for serving)

Instructions:

1. In a heavy-bottom pot, or an instant pot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook through. Season with salt. Remove from the pot, and set aside.

2. To the pot, over medium heat, add in the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. 

3. Add the minced garlic, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, and oregano, and let the spices bloom and toast, about 1 minute.

4. To the onion and spices, add bell pepper, jalapeño, and tomato paste. Cook until the tomato paste turns a shade darker. Turn down the heat if it begins to stick and burn to the bottom of the pot! 

5. Add in the broth or stock, can of diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Scrape off the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Then, add the cooked ground beef to the pot, along with the beans and a bay leaf. Bring the chili to a boil, then cover the pot and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.

   If cooking the chili in the instant pot, pressure cook on "manual" for 30 minutes

6. Let the chili cool slightly, and serve alongside cornbread or with tortilla chips, and serve with sour cream and shredded cheese. Enjoy!

Note

If you like spicy chili- feel free to add more cayenne or jalapeños for more heat! 

Keywords: Soup, chili, beef, beans

1. […] I wrote this recipe for a Snack Series, featured on my Instagram page, in preparation for the 2021 NFL Super Bowl!…

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