Don’t settle for that canned chili when this Homemade Chili is ready and waiting for you! Chock full of hearty beans and ground beef, this dinner idea will leave everyone satisfied. This is an easy and quick recipe you’ll want to keep on hand for consistent use.
There’s nothing better than a nice, hot bowl of Homemade chili with some Honey Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread or Corn Pudding. Although this is an ideal meal for during the colder months, I prefer it any time of the year. It’s just too good to not have on a consistent basis. I crave it all the time because you’ll never taste a better chili than the kind made from home.
Come to think of it, there are quite a few dinner recipes I prefer year-round when they’re typically meant for colder weather. Soups, in general, are high up on that list. I mean, not just dinner recipes either, there are a ton of fall and holiday recipes I can’t seem to be patient about. Please tell me I’m not the only one. Even if I am, oh well, I like my food!
How to Make Homemade Chili
- Prep – Cook the onions and peppers in a large pot until the onions are translucent. Add the beef and brown. Discard all but a fourth of the excess oil.
- Add the spices – Toss in all the spices and stir well before adding the fresh garlic and tomato paste and stirring again.
- Add the rest of the ingredients – Add the beer and cook for a minute or two before adding in the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for about an hour
- Garnish and serve – Taste for seasonings and adjust if need be. Garnish if desired, serve, and enjoy!
Tips and Variations
- Storage – Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating – Reheat in the microwave or over the stove. If reheating from the freezer, let the homemade chili thaw out before attempting to heat it up.
- Make it mild – This recipe already results in a pretty mild chili. However, if you want to make it even milder, you can remove the Kashmiri chili and add more tomato sauce in place of the salsa.
- Make it spicy Since this results in a pretty mild chili, you may want to add some spice. Adding some dried chilies, swapping out the mild salsa for a spicy option, diced jalapenos, or even crushed red pepper will kick up the spice quite a bit.
- Let it simmer – I know it can be hard to wait, but the longer it simmers, the more flavorful it becomes. You want the beef to really soak up the flavor or you’ll end up with chunks of bland meat. You can always prepare this in the crockpot as well.
- Make it thicker – If you like your chili to be thicker, remove some of the tomato sauce, salsa, or add in more beans.
- Remove the beans – If you can’t handle beans, try adding in more hamburger in the place of the beans. Continue with the recipe as written otherwise.
What is the Best Meat for Chili?
The most popular meat used for chili is ground beef. However, chili has been made with all kinds of meat such as ground turkey, chicken, ground pork, deer hamburger, etc. When it comes to naming the best meat for chili, that all depends on each person and their preferences.
What Are The Best Beans For Chili?
I like dark beans for chili but you may use white beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, or even black beans.
What Can I Serve This With?
I love chili with homemade cornbread. But feel free to also serve this with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and scallions.
Can I Add Some Brown Sugar to Sweeten Things Up?
Yes, add a tbsp of brown sugar or 1/2 tsp of white sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and to add a touch of sweetness.
Is Cumin Good in Chili?
I, personally, love putting cumin in a lot of my recipes. However, some people don’t prefer the flavor of cumin and would like to leave it out. This question, again, falls on a person’s flavor preferences. Cumin is a common ingredient used in chili and pairs well with the traditional chili flavors. However, if you don’t like the flavor of it, removing it won’t ruin the chili or its flavor.
If you gave this Homemade Chili a try or gave it your own tweaks, let me know in the comments below!
More Chili Recipes You’re Sure to Love:
You can find more delicious recipes and cooking tutorial videos on Youtube and Facebook.
Homemade Chili
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb beef
- 1/2 Vidalia onion
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 3 garlic cloves
- 16 ounces of mild salsa
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 16 ounce can dark red kidney beans
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 16 ounce cans of chili beans kidney beans mild chili sauce
- 14.5 ounce petite diced canned tomatoes
- 1 bottle of beer preferably dark beer
- 1/2 Tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 Tsp paprika
- 1/2 Tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 Tsp Kashmiri chili
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the onions and peppers over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the beef, and cook until browned, stirring occasionally.
- Using a ladle, discard the excess oil leaving only about 1/4 of it in the pot.
- Add the granulated garlic, paprika, cumin, chili powder, Kashmiri chili, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in the fresh garlic and tomato paste.
- Add the beer and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the tomato sauce, mild salsa, diced tomatoes, chili beans, and kidney beans.
- Let it come to a boil then reduce to medium low heat.
- Cook for 1 hour or until the beef is fork tender.
- Check for seasoning and add salt if needed.
- Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions, if desired and enjoy immediately!
Is there a substitute for the beer?
Hi, you can completely omit it. If you feel like it needs more liquid then feel free to add 1 cup water. Wouldn’t use beef or chicken stock here, I’m afraid it will alter the taste.