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Made with sweet onions, tender bell peppers, garlic, smokey bacon, and layers of spices, you can’t beat the flavors in this Beef Chili! You can serve this versatile Beef Chili recipe for game days, potlucks, block parties, or family dinners.
There’s something so comforting about having a bowl of Chili for supper on a cold day! Anytime I need a cozy meal to warm me up, this Chili is my go-to recipe. Whether making a weeknight meal, feeding a crowd, or hosting friends, this easy-to-make recipe is perfect for any occasion!
The rich sauce simmers down and reduces, it’ll fill your house with a heavenly aroma that’ll have your family racing to the dinner table before you’re even ready to serve! As an added bonus, this recipe is all made in one pot, so cleaning up after dinner is super quick and straightforward.
Make This Recipe For…
- Family Dinners
- Game Day and Tailgating
- Super Bowl Parties
- Block Parties, Cookouts, and Barbeques
- Graduation Parties
- Birthday Celebrations
- Casual Entertaining
- Potlucks and Covered Dish Suppers
Ingredients Needed To Make This Easy Beef Chili
- Olive Oil
- Onion – chopped
- Bell Pepper – diced
- Garlic – minced
- Bacon – cubed
- Ground Beef
- Brown Sugar
- Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Tomato Paste
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Salt
- Pepper
- Stock – you can use beef stock or vegetable stock
- Red Pepper Chili Flakes
- Canned Red Kidney Beans – drained and rinsed
PRO TIP: Any time you forget to drain the fat out of browned beef, this is a super easy way to do it. Grab your largest ladle and put two ice cubes in it, then carefully dip just the bottom of the ladle into the chili and all the oil will congeal to the bottom of the ladle without making a huge mess.
How To Make Beef Chili
- Place a large Dutch Oven over medium-low heat and add olive oil. Add chopped onions, diced peppers, and cubed uncooked bacon into the Dutch oven and cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Then, add minced garlic and sauté, being careful not to burn.
- Once sautéed garlic becomes more fragrant, add ground beef and cook until it’s no longer pink. Carefully drain off any excess oil.
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the Dutch Oven, stirring the chili after adding each ingredient. Bring Chili to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on the pot.
- Remove the lid from the Dutch Oven, stir the chili, and then cook for 30 minutes without a lid until the Chili is slightly reduced and thickened. Serve and enjoy!
What Is The Secret To Making A Good Chili?
This is a tough question; you could ask a dozen people, and they’d all give you different answers. In my opinion, the secret to making a genuinely great chili is properly layering flavors. Every ingredient in the Chili has to add a complimentary flavor to the dish.
This recipe has layers of smokey bacon flavors, bright onions, and a hint of garlic, cumin, and chili flakes. Every additional ingredient in this recipe is there to complement these primary flavors.
What Kind Of Beef Goes In Chili?
Honestly, you can use just about any ground beef in a Chili! I like to use 90/10 ground beef because it produces less fat, so I don’t have to drain that much off. That being said, you can use 80/20 if that’s what you have on hand!
How To Serve Beef Chili
This is just one of those classic comfort food recipes, so you can’t go wrong while serving it! People tend to like all kinds of toppings on their chili, so usually, I’ll place the topping options into bowls on the table, and then folks can help themselves. Here are a couple of my favorite topping options for this Easy Beef Chili…
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Chopped Red Onion
- Diced Jalapeños
- Sour Cream
- Chopped Green Onion
- Crushed Tortilla Chips or Fritos
What To Serve With This Easy Beef Chili Recipe
There are all kinds of fantastic side dishes you can serve with this recipe; here are a couple of my favorites…
More Recipes You’ll Love…
- Best Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- Brown Sugar Little Smokies
- Easy Beef and Cheddar Sliders
- Walking Taco Bar
- Best Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Easy Beef Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 medium Onion – chopped
- 1 medium Bell pepper – chopped
- 3 cloved Garlic – minced
- 4 slices Bacon – Cut into cubes
- 1 pound Ground beef – I recommend using 90/10
- 2 tablespoons Brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Cumin
- 3 tablespoons Tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can of Crushed tomatoes
- 1.5 teaspoons Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 3 cups Stock – use beef or vegetable
- 1/4 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- 2 15-ounce cans of Red kidney beans – drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Place a large Dutch Oven over a medium low heat and add olive oil. Add chopped onions, diced peppers and cubed uncooked bacon into Dutch oven and cook until onions are soft and translucent. Then, add minced garlic and sauté, being careful not to burn.
- Once sautéed garlic becomes more fragrant, add ground beef and cook until it's no longer pink. Carefully drain off any excess oil.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to the Dutch Oven, stirring the chili after adding each ingredient. Bring Chili up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on the pot.
- Remove the lid from the Dutch Oven, stir the chili, and then cook for an additional 30 minutes without a lid until Chili is slightly reduced and thickened. Serve and enjoy!
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