This Easy Chili is cozy, hearty, and guaranteed to hit the spot every time. Only 5 ingredients and 20 minutes stand between you and a bowl!
Why you’ll love this chili
- Easy. Only 5 ingredients and 20 minutes are necessary to make this recipe!
- Versatile. This is a very basic chili, but mix-in up by using different meat, beans, adding spices, veggies, or even bacon.
- Kid friendly. My kids absolutely devour this when it’s loaded up with cheese.
- Meal prep-able. Make a double batch and freeze some for a rainy day.
Ingredients
This humble chili recipe is made with 5 ingredients, but feel free to play around with additional spices and ingredients (onion, garlic, bacon, etc.) if you want to kick it up a notch!
- Ground Beef – use whatever ground beef you have on hand. If it’s higher in fat content, that’s ok, the additional grease will get drained off.
- Beans – I like pinto beans for flavor and texture, but feel free to use any bean you have on hand like kidney beans, black beans, etc.
- Condensed Tomato Soup – an easy way to create a chili base! This adds a nice, concentrated tomato flavor.
- Brown Sugar – balances out the acidic tomatoes with a rich, molasses sweet flavor. Use more or less depending on how sweet you like your chili.
- Chili Powder – made up of sweet paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, oregano, and cumin; chili powder really gives that smoky, sweet, and spicy flavor we all know and love.
- Salt – balances out the sweetness from the brown sugar and enhances the acidic tomato and rich ground beef.
How to make
All made in one bowl and no chopping required, this beef chili recipe really could not be easier.
- Cook and crumble the ground beef in a large stockpot, then drain off the fat.
- Stir in beans, soup, water, brown sugar, chili powder, and salt, simmer until hot and thickened, then serve with your favorite toppings!
How long does it take to cook?
This chili takes 15 minutes to cook on the stovetop. With about 5 minutes of prep, this easy chili recipe takes just 20 minutes to make from start to finish.
So quick, so easy, and so yummy!
What do you top chili with?
Toppings take your chili from great to amazing! Here are some of my favorites:
- Something Cheesy. I love shredded sharp cheddar for flavor and creaminess, but any cheese will do . . . pepperjack anyone?
- Something Creamy. Sour cream or greek yogurt cut the richness of the chili with a creamy tang!
- Something Salty and Crunchy. Tortilla chips, fritos, or crackers will add a salty flavor and crunchy texture!
- Something fresh. Jalapeño slices, cilantro, avocado, or black olives balance out the rich chili with fresh flavors!
How to season chili
This particular recipe uses salt and chili powder for seasoning, but if you’d like to amp it up a bit, try adding in additional flavors and spices such as liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce, pepper, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and/or red pepper flakes!
How do you thicken homemade chili?
If your chili is thinner than you’d like, try simmering the chili a bit longer (uncovered). If it still isn’t thick enough, try whisking in a cornstarch or flour slurry. You could also bulk it up with more (drained) beans.
How do you thin homemade chili?
If your chili ends up thicker than you like, try stirring in broth or water. Add small amounts at a time so it doesn’t become too thin. Taste and re-season, as necessary.
Variations
- Spice it up. Try adding green chiles, diced jalapeño, a little hot sauce, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper.
- Use a different meat. Try it with ground chicken or turkey instead. Check out this turkey and vegetable chili recipe! You could even throw in some bacon.
- Make it vegetarian or vegan. Check out my crockpot vegetarian chili recipe or my instant pot vegetarian chili.
- Make it Tex-Mex. Swap the pinto beans for black beans and toss in a little bit of taco seasoning.
- Add more veggies. Try it with zucchini, bell pepper, corn, carrots, onions, or even sweet potato!
What to serve with chili?
Chili is packed with delicious and filling ingredients but I LOVE to serve it up with some yummy sides as well:
How to store
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge, if frozen, then heat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warm.
– Jennifer
Easy Beef Chili Recipe
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
Easy Beef Chili
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (15 oz) can beans drained and rinsed - I actually used romano beans but you could also use kidney beans or pinto beans
- 1 (10 oz) can condensed tomato soup + 1 can worth of water
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed (more to less to taste)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder more to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less, to taste
Toppings, etc
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Veggies: cilantro, jalapenos, green onions, etc.
- Crackers
- Chips
- Cornbread
Instructions
- Cook beef, breaking it up as you go, over medium heat in a large stockpot, then drain the grease.
- To the drained beef, add in beans, condensed soup, 1 soup can's worth of water, brown sugar, chili powder, and salt.
- Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, then simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until hot and slightly thickened.
- Taste and re-season, then serve with toppings and sides of choice!
- Take 5 seconds to rate this recipe below. We greatly appreciate it!
Notes
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
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