Everyone needs a good Classic Homemade Chili recipe and this one is simply perfect! It’s made with ground beef (or ground turkey) and I’ve included tips for how to make chili on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.
Chili is such a versatile and delicious comfort food. It shines as a main dish (along side some Homemade cornbread of course!) or serve it over a baked potato, on top of Cornbread Waffles, or on Spaghetti Squash.
I think we can all agree that a basic chili recipe is something everyone should have in their recipe file! I’m talking about a no-nonsense chili with meat and beans, that’s super flavorful but simple and easy to make. You could substitute ground turkey to make it turkey chili, or leave the meat out all together (and add more beans) to make vegetarian chili.
How to make Chili in 3 simple steps:
- Cook onions. Cook the onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes until they are tender and start to get a little bit golden and caramelized.
- Add meat. Add the ground beef and sausage cook until browned. Remove grease.
- Add remaining ingredients and simmer. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for at least an hour, to allow the flavors to blend. Serve with a spoonful of sour cream and shredded cheese.
Additional Add-in Ideas:
This is a great basic chili recipe and you can easily customize it to add other things you like, like:
- Cooked Bacon
- Diced Bell pepper
- Chopped Celery
You can also make this a meatless chili by leaving out the ground beef and ground sausage and doubling the beans.
To Make Chili in the Slow Cooker:
Cook the onion and brown the meat in a large skillet. Add the remaining ingredients to a large slow cooker and stir in the cooked meat and onions. Cook on low for 5-7 hours.
Freezing Instructions:
Allow to cool and then add to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat on the stovetop for 20-30 minutes.
Serve Chili with:
- Cornbread Waffles
- Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Homemade Cornbread
- Green salad
- Over baked potatoes
- Over hot dogs
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Easy Homemade Chili
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion , diced
- 2 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes , undrained
- 4 cups tomato juice *
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 15 ounce cans pinto beans , undrained
- 16 ounce can can kidney beans , undrained
- 1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you want it spicier)
- Shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
- Sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ground beef and sausage to the pot and cook, breaking apart into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned. Drain any grease.
- Add the vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato juice, ketchup, beans, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic salt, pepper, paprika, cumin and cayenne.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, then reduce the heat and simmer over medium-low heat for a at least one hour, or up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Serve in bowls with a dollop or sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese on top.
- Serve chili with: cornbread, biscuits, or a green salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out my webstory!
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Holly says
I used deer meat in mine and added some red pepper flakes and bread crumbs to thicken. It was amazing !!! All these years I thought I didn’t like chili, turns out I do. Thank you so much for the recipe my husband was impressed!!
Shelby says
I hate to leave a bad review but this taste like sloppy joe mix. I tried adding more spices, coco powder, baking soda to mellow out the tomato taste and nothing. I made this for my husband to take to work for the up coming week since he works out of town but sadly this can not go with him because it’s that bad. I don’t mind it as a frito pie with lots of onions, cheese and Fritos but him not so much. If you do not like sloppy joe flavor DO NOT add 1cup of ketchup, a complete fail.
Kathy says
I made this chili this past weekend. It was the first time I ever made chili. I tweaked it a little and adjusted some of the spices to suit my husband’s tastebuds. He said it was the best chili he ever ate and he’s eaten a lot of chili throughout his 53 years. I guess I finally have a signature dish, haha. Tonight, I plan on making macaroni and cheese with a good portion of the chili mixed in. I also plan on making the chili again next weekend since we’re supposed to have a polar vortex. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Makenzie says
I have always loved chili but the rest of my family does not. I made this one night and everyone was obsessed with it. Now I am begged to make chili all the time. I do have a question. Are the nutrition facts for 1 serving or the whole thing?
S Mason says
This is by far the best chili recipe in have ever made. I was a little nervous about the ketchup and brown sugar, but the chili did not taste too sweet. No changes needed to the recipe – it is perfect as is!
Adrianna says
I’ve made this recipe many many times and it’s our favourite! At the moment I’m pregnant and have gestational diabetes. I see the recipe says there are 52g of carbohydrates, is that in the entire dish? Or for a serving? I’m only allowed a max of 30g or carbs at dinner so I’m just wondering how much I should serve myself to keep my numbers down! Thanks for a great recipe
Adrianna says
I should add that this time I didn’t add the ketchup at all, nor any of the brown sugar. But usually we make it identical to your recipe and it’s perfect!
Jake says
My family has been following the weekly meal plans up to this point happily. This was the first major disappointment for us. Most of us couldn’t eat the chili resulting from the recipe as written. Way too sweet and soupy for our taste. You’re better off using the recipe as a suggestion and making the chili you already know you like. This was a major bust. Really sad after weeks of successes.
We ended up having to throw out all of it and cook a different dinner since no one would eat it. Money wasted. Time wasted. Faith lost.