Easy Chili Con Carne recipe is hearty and flavorful made with ground beef, chili powder, onions, bell peppers and beans simmered until thick.
From original Texas Chili to White Chicken Chili, I’ve got plenty of variations of this hearty Southwestern Stew, but nothing beats the original! My Chili con Carne is the classic way to make a traditional Mexican Dish that has been the inspiration for favorite chili recipes across the world.
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Sabrina’s Chili Con Carne Recipe
Usually, when people say “chili,” it is a shorthand for a thick, meaty stew that’s been simmering with some kind of chili pepper. There are all kinds of “chili”, but this is a recipe for the classic stew that started it all. Chili Con Carne, or “chili with meat”, has been around literally for centuries and there are so many delicious variations. This is the kind of chili you’ll find most often, from old-school chili parlors to fast food restaurants to family cookbooks.
My easy and flavorful Chili Con Carne is ready in under 2 hours and made with simple ingredients you either have in your pantry or are pretty inexpensive to buy. It’s a budget-friendly meal you can easily scale up to feed a big crowd or freeze for a future dinner. Canned beans and canned tomatoes make this chili extra hearty without breaking the bank. I keep the spices pretty mild, so it’s a family-friendly meal, but if you like spicy chili, feel free to crank up the heat with my suggestions in the Variations section.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Ground Beef: I like ground beef because it’s flavorful and tender without stewing for hours. I used an 85/15 blend and don’t drain it because the fat adds tons of beefy flavor.
- ¼ cup Chili Powder: Chili powder is made of ground dried chiles, such as ancho and sweet red chiles, along with spices like paprika and cumin. It has a smoky, earthy flavor that is delicious with beef and tomatoes.
- Tomatoes: I add 1 large can (29 ounces) of canned tomatoes and 6 ounces of tomato paste to balance out the chili flavors with sweet acidity. Tomatoes also add liquid to the stew and break down the fattiness of the meat and broth.
- 15 ounce can of Kidney Beans: Red kidney beans make this chili extra hearty and filling. I also like the creaminess they add to every bite. If you are a team with “no beans allowed,” feel free to leave them out.
- Aromatics: The base of the flavor starts with a classic aromatic veggies blend of garlic, onion, and green bell pepper. I used 2 yellow onions, 1 bell pepper and 3 garlic cloves.
- 2 cups Beef Broth: I prefer a high quality beef broth concentrate that way I can add an extra teaspoon or two to give my chili even more beefy flavor.
- Additional Seasonings: To give the chili flavor even more depth, I also added 1 tablespoon each of cumin, paprika, and brown sugar plus 1 teaspoon of salt.
How to Make
Time needed: 1 hour and 35 minutes.
- Veggies:
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven on medium heat. Add the onions and green bell pepper and cook until translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 1 minute while stirring.
- Beef:
Next, add the ground beef or lean ground beef, breaking apart into larger chunks with a wooden spoon or meat masher, and cook for about 6-8 minutes to allow the beef to sear well.
- Season:
Stir in the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and brown sugar to the beef mixture and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the tomatoes, canned beans, and tomato paste, stirring until the tomato paste is well combined.
- Simmer:
When everything is combined, add the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce to medium-low heat and cook for 1 hour, stirring every fifteen minutes. It is done when the broth is thickened and the ground beef isn’t lost. Garnish with sour cream, pickled jalapenos, and other chili toppings.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 yellow onions , diced
- 1 green bell pepper , diced
- 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 2 pounds ground beef , (85/15)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 29 ounces canned diced tomatoes , do not drain
- 15 ounces dark red kidney beans , drained and rinsed
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup pickled jalapenos
Instructions
- Add vegetable oil and onions and green bell pepper to a large Dutch oven on medium heat and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute stirring well.
- Add the ground beef, breaking apart as you cook it for 6-8 minutes but leave the chunks a bit larger, and allow the beef to sear well.
- Add in the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika and brown sugar and stir well, cooking for 1 minute.
- Add in the diced tomatoes with their juices, kidney beans and tomato paste and whisk well until the tomato paste is well mixed in.
- Add in the beef broth and bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 1 hour, stirring every fifteen minutes.
- The chili is done when the beef broth is reduced to a slightly thick consistency where the ground beef is not lost in the gravy.
- Serve with sour cream and pickled jalapenos.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: Shortcuts for Chili
Traditional Chili Con Carne is made with tough chunks of beef that are braised and slow cooked in a flavorful thick broth made with dried chilis that are rehydrated and blended into a paste before adding. This labor of love makes a super flavorful dish, but I’ve taken a few shortcuts with my Chili Con Carne recipe. I use ground beef because it’s quicker; there’s no need to simmer the beef for hours to get it fork tender. I also use chili powder in this recipe because you get the same delicious flavors without rehydrating dried chilies and dirtying more dishes.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, chili con carne can absolutely be made ahead of time. In fact, many people find that chili tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to meld.
Nutritional Facts
How to Store
- Serve: Chili can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours before being cooled and stored in the fridge or freezer.
- Store: Cool the chili and transfer it to airtight containers, refrigerating for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop until warmed through.
- Freeze: Place cooled chili in airtight containers or freezer-safe bags and store for up to 4 months. You can heat it from frozen in a pot on the stove or thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Ideas to Serve Chili Con Carne
- Toppings: Load up your chili with toppings like sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions, pickled or fresh jalapeno slices, fresh cilantro, bacon bits, diced onions, corn chips, and hot sauce. I like to put them in separate containers and let everyone top the chili how they want.
- Sides: Cornbread and Chili are a delicious combo all on their own. This is a great chili recipe for topping hot dogs, white rice, or baked potatoes as an easy, filling dinner that stretches for a crowd.
- Filling: Our mild, basic chili recipe is great as the base in favorite casserole recipes like Cheesy Chili Dog Casserole, Frito Pie, or Tater Tot Casserole. Add it to a pot of Mac and Cheese to make a delicious homemade Chili Mac. Cover it with cornbread batter in a skillet and bake for an easy tamale pie.
Frequent Questions
The Chili Con Carne we know today started as a humble dish among working-class people in south Texas and northern Mexico. It was originally a stew of beef and chili peppers, with other cheap ingredients like onions and cumin added for more flavor. It was so popular in Texas that there used to be cafes dedicated to it called Chili Parlors. In 1977, Chili Con Carne became Texas’s official dish. It has spread all over the country over the past century, with different regions adding their own variations and ingredients.
Tomatoes or no tomatoes? Beans or no beans? What ingredients go in a true chili recipe has been long disputed by chefs and cooks everywhere. Honestly, that’s the best part about making homemade Chili Con Carne, you get to make it how you like it with ingredients your family will eat. Not a fan of beans but like tomatoes? Leave the beans out and add a can of stewed tomatoes. Unless you are entering your recipe into a Texas chili competition that bans them, put beans in your chili to your heart and stomach’s content.
Chili powder is a blend of dried chilis and paprika, cumin, and other seasonings that gives the flavor of chili stews without having to buy a bunch of different spices. Chile powder is just pure ground chiles, but they call chile powder “chili powder” outside the United States. (Confusing, right?) So, if you are not in the US or shopping at a specialty market, make sure you are buying the spice blend, not just ground chiles, or you will have a very hot chili that doesn’t taste great.
Variations
- Ground Meat: You can swap the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken, but you will want to add a tablespoon of olive oil to replace the fat. If you have more time, try this with cubes of chuck roast instead, simmering on low for 2-3 hours until the meat is fork-tender.
- Beans: I used kidney beans, but you can swap them for canned black beans, northern beans, chili beans, or pinto beans. Just ensure the beans are cooked, drain them, and rinse them before adding them.
- Vegetarian: To make Vegetarian Chili Con Carne, use veggie broth and replace the meat with vegan meat crumbles or finely chopped sweet potatoes. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to replace the beef fat. Riced cauliflower would give the same texture as ground beef but add it at the end so it doesn’t get mushy.
- Spices: You can add other traditional chili spices like a teaspoon cocoa powder, oregano, coriander, thyme, or espresso powder. Cloves, star anise, and cinnamon will enhance the sweetness. Chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika will add smokiness.
- Spicy: For a hot chili, add diced jalapeno peppers, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. For an authentic spicy flavor, rehydrate a mix of dried chiles like ancho chiles, chipotle peppers, and arbol chiles (these are hot!) in hot broth, then blend them before adding to your chili.
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Absolutely delicious. I added fresh red chili, some dark chocolate and a beef stock cube and the result was amazing. We’re only two in my house so I put the leftovers in the freezer and look forward to eating them later.
You know your way around the kitchen Andrea! Thank you for your feedback and for the five star review.