When the weather turns chilly, nothing warms the soul like a hearty chili. My award-winning beef and bean chili is a classic comfort food. It’s perfect for game day gatherings or cozy nights.
The Perfect Classic Chili Recipe
What makes this chili stand out? I’m sharing my Chef’s secret ingredients to elevate it to a whole new level. Get ready to savor every spoonful of this delicious dish.
TKW Family Love
Wow this chili is amazing! I’ve never added cinnamon or cocoa to chili but man it definitely made the chili! I’ll never make it again without it. Thank you for another amazing recipe!
I get it it’s not a Texas Red chili (working on that now) but I grew up where chili had beans. It wasn’t so much for taste but more for making it go further.
I know there are purists out there that will stay on the side of no bean and I respect that. Now if you want an awesome no-bean chili, check out this recipe – Texas-Style Beef & Beer Chili.
Award-Winning Chili Recipe
My chili recipe has won multiple cook-off events. Every office contest, every neighborhood competition, and even a few larger events. It’s so hearty, meaty, and perfectly balanced. The only thing you need to tweak is your heat tolerance; i.e., more jalapenos and or hotter peppers.
Grab Your Ingredients
What I love about this recipe is that it uses basic pantry and fridge ingredients.
- Ground meat – I used a 93/7% blend but you can use 80/20
- Veggies – onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno, dark and light kidney beans, garlic, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste
- Seasonings – chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne
- Chef’s Secret – cocoa powder and cinnamon
Let’s Make Chili
This recipe takes under 20 minutes to come together and then about an hour or so on simmer to thicken up.
Now if you’re like me, chili always tastes better the next day but seriously this was amazing in just about 2 hours!
- In a 7.5 quart Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is heated add the onions, jalapenos, and red peppers, sautéing until translucent.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Next, add the ground meat, breaking it up into smaller pieces. Cook for 5-6 minutes, while mixing occasionally until the meat is cooked through.
- Remove the pan from the heat, strain the fat out, and return the meat and vegetables to the pan. Add in the spices (start with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper), stir, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the tomato paste, stir to combine, and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the crushed tomatoes, stir, and cook for one minute. Add in the beans, and stock, and stir.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and partially cover with a lid, stirring occasionally or until the chili thickens. ~1 hour.
“It’s Like a Hug For Your Soul”
I will never forget that comment one of the judges said. The thing is, this chili isn’t super elaborate and doesn’t use fancy ingredients but rather it matters how the flavors are balanced.
Chef’s Secret To Amazing Chili
I’ve shared this in almost all of my chili recipes (when it’s a red chili that is). These 2 ingredients are a must-use:
- Cinnamon – Cinnamon adds a warm spice profile that hits the back of your throat.
Recipe Substitutions & Additions
The beauty of chili is you can make it more your own by the way of more heat or changing up the meats.
- Meat – add some cooked pulled pork or shredded chuck roast.* I would advise to swap out the seasoning in those recipes to the same you’re using in this recipe
- Bacon – grind up some bacon and add that in with the ground meat
- Ground Turkey/Chicken – So technically you can swap them out BUT you’ll need to make sure that while you’re cooking the meat down it renders slowly to avoid it getting rubbery/tough
- Beans – Try black, white, and or pinto
- Peppers – add more jalapenos or if you want it hotter, a habanero. If you like living on the edge, go for a Carolina Reaper. Just know that you’ll have to balance out the other spices. remember you want to taste the chili, not just have all the heat.
Do I Have to Add Beans?
Sigh this has beans in it and if you don’t use them you will end up with a thinner chili. I get it, either you’re a hardcore Texas Red chili only OR you have an allergy.
I’ve seen folks add a slurry of cornstarch or add flour to the ground beef when cooking it. Please don’t…ever!
How to Thicken Beanless Chili
- Spoon out about a 1/4 cup of the liquid into a bowl or you can use beef stock.
- To that, add 2-3 tablespoons of Masa Harina (corn flour) and whisk. This mixture is then put into the pot, stirred in and the chili will thicken up.
TKW Family Love
This is my go to recipe for chili and I completely agree that chili MUST have beans in it (non-negotiable for me, otherwise it’s just a meat sauce lol). We love ours extra spicy (I either add more jalapenos or even serrano peppers if I have it on hand). We’ve made this for potlucks too and everyone has a great time adding their toppings on at the end.
Ultimate Classic Thick & Hearty Beef & Bean Chili
When the weather turns chilly, nothing warms the soul like a hearty chili. Award-winning beef and bean chili is a classic comfort food.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: ~6 quarts
- Category: award winning chili, chili, comfort food, football foods, game day foods, hearty foods, meal prep recipes, tailgating
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: award winning chili, chili, comfort food, football foods, game day foods, hearty foods, meal prep recipes, tailgating
Ingredients
- 2lb ground beef 93/7 or 80/20 blend
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped small
- 1 large red pepper, chopped small
- 1 jalapeno, de-seeded and minced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1–2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1–2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2–3/4 tsp cayenne *depends on how hot you want it*
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 15.5 ounce cans Dark Red Kidney beans *I do not drain mine
- 2 15.5 ounce cans of Light Red Kidney beans *I do not drain mine
- 4 ounces beef stock
Instructions
- In a 7.5 quart Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is heated add the onions, jalapenos, and red peppers, sautéing until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Next, add in the ground meat, breaking up into smaller pieces. Cook for 5-6 minutes, while mixing occasionally until the meat is cooked through.
- Remove the pan from the heat, strain the fat out and return the meat and vegetables to the pan. Add in the spices (start with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper), stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the crushed tomatoes, stir and cook for one minute. Add in the beans, stock and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and partially cover with a lid, stirring occasionally or until the chili thickens. ~1 hour.
- Taste for seasoning (add more salt/pepper if desired). . Remove from the stove and enjoy! Serve with sour cream, cheese, onions and chips if desired.
- Store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge.
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