Easy Beef Chili
This beef chili recipe is the ultimate hearty dinner. Cubes of beef is cooked in a rich, spicy sauce with beans and aromatics until fall apart tender.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beef. I used cubes of stewing beef (chuck is a great option) but this recipe can be made with ground beef too. The lean ground beef will cook much quicker but I prefer the richer, meatier quality of the beef cubes.
- Aromatics: Onion, celery, bell peppers and garlic. I also added jalapeño peppers and bay leaves. Poblano peppers can also be used.
- Spices: Ground cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and red pepper flakes/chilli flakes.
- Beans: I used red kidney beans but pinto beans, black beans, etc. can be substituted.
- Canned tomatoes.
- Beef broth/beef stock.
- Salt and black pepper.
- To serve: Cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, green onion, fresh cilantro/coriander.
How to make beef chili
- Brown: Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels then season with salt and pepper. Heat a large, deep Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil then brown the beef, in batches. Remove and set aside.
- Make the chili: In the same pot, saute the vegetables until they start to soften then add the garlic and spices. Cook for a few seconds then pour in the tomatoes and stock. Season with salt and pepper then add the beef back in. Cover, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 2-3 hours or until the beef is fall-apart tender. You might need to add more water or broth during cooking so keep checking the chili every hour or so to make sure it doesn’t cook dry.
- Finish and serve: Once the beef is tender, add the drained beans then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Allow to simmer for another 10 minutes then serve with your favorite chili toppings.
Can I make this ahead?
Chili is fantastic when made ahead as the flavors have even more time to blend and become delicious. The chili can be made the day before serving and kept in the fridge. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Chili can also be frozen. Allow to come to room temperature then transfer to freezer safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Chili is such comfort food and perfect served with cornbread, tortilla chips or over a big bowl of rice. It’s also delicious served over a baked potato. We love it topped with cheese, sour cream and avocado. If you’d like to serve vegetable side dishes, green beans, roasted butternut squash and broccoli are all good ideas.
Slow Cooked Beef Recipes
Ingredients
- 2½ lb (1,25kg) beef stewing cubes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 celery spears finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely diced
- 1 jalapeno chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 28 oz (800g) canned chopped tomatoes
- 6 cups beef broth/beef stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 14 oz (400g) red kidney beans drained
Instructions
- Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels then season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large, deep Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat then brown the beef, in batches.
- Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, sauté the vegetables until they start to soften then add the garlic and spices.
- Cook for a few seconds then pour in the tomatoes and stock. Season with salt and pepper then add the beef back in. Add the bay leaves.
- Cover, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 2-3 hours or until the beef is fall-apart tender.
- You might need to add more water or broth during cooking so keep checking the chili every hour or so to make sure it doesn't cook dry.
- Once the beef is tender, add the drained beans then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
- Allow to simmer for another 10 minutes then serve with your favorite chili toppings.