Classic and Simple Beef and Bean Chili
This classic and simple beef and bean chili is made with ground beef, beans, tomatoes, and a handful of pantry seasonings. It’s an easy homemade chili recipe that can be made thick and hearty for chili dogs and chili fries or thinned down for a good old fashioned bowl of chili!
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A Good Pot of Chili Goes a Long Way
I don’t know about you, but I believe every country kitchen needs a good homemade and hearty chili recipe. It’s one of those suppers you can throw together with a pound of ground beef and a few things from the pantry, and before you know it, you’ve got a big pot of something mighty good simmering on the stove.
This beef and bean chili started out as my version of The Pioneer Woman’s chili recipe. I’ve changed a little of this and a little of that, and now it’s just perfect for my little family. And goodness, do we get some use out of it! I may make this weekly over the Fall and Winter and that covers several meals in that week!
Sometimes I make it good and thick for chili dogs or chili cheese fries. Other times I add a couple cups of broth and serve it in a bowl with crackers, cornbread, or even those old fashioned school cafeteria cinnamon rolls I love so much.
That’s one of my favorite things about this recipe. You don’t need a different chili for every occasion. Just one good, simple recipe that you can fix up however you please.
What Makes a Good Beef and Bean Chili?
Now, everybody seems to have their own opinion about what belongs in a pot of chili. Some folks don’t want beans anywhere near theirs, while others wouldn’t dream of making chili without them! Around here, we like a good old fashioned beef and bean chili with plenty of tomatoes and just enough seasoning to give it that familiar chili flavor without being too spicy for the little ones.
I use ground beef, a combination of tomato sauce, paste, and diced tomatoes, and whatever beans I’ve got handy. Pinto beans and kidney beans are both good choices, and you can even use a mixture of the two. This is a traditional chili, full of hearty beef and beans, but an easy recipe regardless.
While I opt for onion and garlic powder rather than any onion, garlic or even green pepper, this is simply just because of my families preferences, so you could certainly add any of these to your own pot.
And one little thing I do differently from some homemade chili recipes is add a couple tablespoons of cornmeal. It helps thicken everything up and gives the chili that hearty consistency I love.
Nothing fancy, just good pantry cooking!
How Do You Thicken Homemade Chili?
If you’ve ever made chili from one of those little seasoning packets at the grocery store, you may have noticed that they usually have some flour or starch mixed right in with the seasonings. That’s because it helps thicken the chili as it cooks. Well, you can do the very same thing at home!
I like to add two tablespoons of cornmeal to our chili when I’m seasoning the ground beef. You can use flour instead, but I prefer the cornmeal in ours. It helps give the chili a nice, thick consistency without having to cook it down forever and a nice flavor.
Of course, you can leave it out altogether if you’d rather. Just use a little less liquid or let your chili simmer uncovered until it’s as thick as you like.
And speaking of thickness, don’t feel like you’ve got to make your chili the same way every time! If we’re having chili dogs or chili cheese fries, I leave ours good and thick. But if we’re sitting down to a bowl of chili for supper, I usually add about two cups of water or beef broth. Homemade beef broth is my favorite!
It’s the very same chili, just fixed a little differently depending on what we’re having.
How Can You Make Homemade Chili More Flavorful?
Now, I keep our everyday chili pretty mild because that’s how we like it, but there’s certainly nothing stopping you from adding a little more kick!
If you prefer a stronger chili taste, you can double the seasonings in this recipe. I usually start with the amounts listed below and go from there, tasting as I cook.
For a spicier chili, try adding a chopped jalapeño pepper, a splash of jalapeño juice, or a little cayenne pepper depending on your preferred spice level. Fresh onions and bell peppers are good additions, too, especially when you’ve got plenty coming in from the garden.
I should also say that this chili recipe gets more flavorful with time. So leftover chili is more flavorful the next day.
That’s the wonderful thing about cooking from scratch. You can make a recipe exactly how your family likes it instead of being stuck with whatever comes in a packet. And once you’ve made this chili a few times, you’ll probably find yourself measuring a little less and just knowing what it needs!
Can You Make Homemade Chili Seasoning Ahead of Time?
You sure can! In fact, if you make chili very often, mixing up a big batch of seasoning ahead of time is a handy little trick for busy nights.
Instead of pulling out every spice jar each time you make supper, you can keep your homemade chili seasoning mixed together in a jar in the pantry.
When I make my seasoning in bulk, I use about 1/3 cup of the prepared seasoning for every pound of ground beef. You can always add a little more if you like a stronger flavor.
If you’d rather use a store bought chili seasoning packet, that works, too. Just remember that many of those packets already contain flour or another thickener, so you may not need to add the extra cornmeal. I love keeping little homemade conveniences like this on hand. It’s still good, from scratch cooking, but it sure makes getting supper on the table a little easier on a busy day!
Beef and Bean Chili Video(s)
Beef and Bean Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- Any vegetables you’d like, such as onions or green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Black Pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal or flour, optional
- 2 cups cooked or canned beans, drained (we like pinto or red kidney beans best)
- Beef broth or water, as needed
Brown the Ground Beef
In a large pot or large dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking it apart as it cooks.
If you’re adding any vegetables, such as diced onions or bell peppers, go ahead and toss those in with the beef and cook until they’re tender.
Add the Chili Seasonings
Once the ground beef is browned, add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Sprinkle in the cornmeal or flour, too, and give everything a good stir until the beef is coated with all those seasonings.
Now, if you like a stronger chili flavor, you can certainly double the seasonings. And if you want a little heat, this is a good time to add some cayenne pepper or chopped jalapeños.
Add the Tomatoes and Beans
Stir in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with all their juice. Mix everything together until it’s well combined. Then add in your beans.
At this point, your chili will be pretty thick, and that’s just fine! In fact, if I’m making chili dogs or chili cheese fries, this is about the consistency I’m after.
Thin the Chili and Let It Simmer
Now, here’s where you can make this chili just the way you like it.
If you want a thick chili for topping hot dogs or fries, you may not need to add any liquid at all. But if you’re wanting a nice bowl of chili for supper, I usually add about two cups of water or beef broth. You can use more or less depending on how thick you like yours. I prefer beef broth when I’ve got it handy, but water works just fine, too.
Once you’ve got the consistency where you want it, leave the chili on medium heat for a gentle simmer, about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is heated through and the flavors have had a chance to come together. Give it a little taste before serving and add any extra seasoning you think it needs. If you are taking this somewhere, a crock pot or slow cooker keeps the chili nice and hot and continues to let the flavors blend.
And there you have it! A good, simple pot of homemade chili ready for supper.
A Good Old Fashioned Supper
There are so many ways to serve a pot of chili, and I think that’s why I love having this recipe tucked away in my recipe box.
On a chilly fall evening, there’s not much better than a big bowl of beef and bean chili, topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped onion or my homecanned pickled banana peppers (our favorite chili toppings!). A side of buttered cornbread or crackers. And if you grew up eating chili with cinnamon rolls at school like I did, you already know what a wonderful combination that is!
But it’s just as handy for a quick supper of chili dogs, or a big plate of homemade chili cheese fries with plenty of shredded cheese on top.
I think some of the best recipes are the ones that aren’t particularly fancy or complicated. They’re just good, dependable recipes that you make over and over again because everybody loves them and they fit right into everyday life. Old fashioned, country cooks didn’t have fancy recipes. They used real ingredients and simple recipes. That’s what you’ll find in my kitchen.
And that’s exactly what this beef and bean chili is for our family. A simple pot of chili that can be stretched, thickened, thinned, seasoned, and served just about any way we please.
If you’re looking for something sweet to serve alongside your chili, or the ultimate comfort food for cold days, be sure to try my School Cafeteria Cinnamon Rolls. There’s just something about that old fashioned school lunch combination that brings back the sweetest memories!
If you’d like to see just how I make our beef and bean chili, be sure to watch the video above. Sometimes it’s easier to see how thick or thin your chili ought to be than to read about it!
Beef and Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- Any veggies you want (peppers, onion)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon each of onion and garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal or flour (can leave out but most chili packets have it so use less liquid or cook longer if you do)
- 2 cups beans
- Broth or water to thin however you like
Instructions
1. Brown the Ground Beef
In a large pot or large dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking it apart as it cooks.
If you're adding any vegetables, such as diced onions or bell peppers, go ahead and toss those in with the beef and cook until they're tender.
2. Add the Chili Seasonings
Once the ground beef is browned, add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Sprinkle in the cornmeal or flour, too, and give everything a good stir until the beef is coated with all those seasonings.
Now, if you like a stronger chili flavor, you can certainly double the seasonings. And if you want a little heat, this is a good time to add some cayenne pepper or chopped jalapeños.
3. Add the Tomatoes and Beans
Stir in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with all their juice, and beans.
Mix everything together until it's well combined.
At this point, your chili will be pretty thick, and that's just fine! In fact, if I'm making chili dogs or chili cheese fries, this is about the consistency I'm after.
4. Thin the Chili and Let It Simmer
Now, here's where you can make this chili just the way you like it.
If you want a thick chili for topping hot dogs or fries, you may not need to add any liquid at all. But if you're wanting a nice bowl of chili for supper, I usually add about two cups of water or beef broth. You can use more or less depending on how thick you like yours. I prefer beef broth when I've got it handy, but water works just fine, too.
Once you've got the consistency where you want it, leave the chili on medium heat for a gentle simmer, about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is heated through and the flavors have had a chance to come together. Give it a little taste before serving and add any extra seasoning you think it needs. If you are taking this somewhere, a crock pot or slow cooker keeps the chili nice and hot and continues to let the flavors blend.
And there you have it! A good, simple pot of homemade chili ready for supper.
Notes
If you like it more flavorful, double the seasonings. For a spicier chili, add jalepenos/jalepeno juice or cayenne. You can also thin it more or less, or leave out the corn meal/flour. I prefer the corn meal in ours!
If you want to make the seasoning in bulk, use 1/3 cup of seasoning per lb beef (or use your own seasoning packet, they’re also 1/3 cup at the store and have flour in them already)