Easy Chili Recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Prep time: 15 min.

Cook time: 1 hour, 10 min.

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It's finally fall, which means it's football season! And what better way to enjoy a lazy Sunday than with a delicious bowl of chili while gathered around the TV? This recipe is not only easy to make, but it also uses simple ingredients that you probably already have at home. The best part? It's a guaranteed crowd pleaser!

Substitutions

• Ground Beef: This is the most typical way to make chili and in my personal opinion the best. I use 90% 10%. If you are opting for a healthier option you can substitute for ground chicken or ground turkey. I know some people also like to add breakfast sausage to the mix to add flavor.

• Beans: Kidney beans are my favorite because they are big and they provide a lot more flavor. I also like black beans but you can use pinto beans or chili beans that will add so much flavor.

• Spices: I usually would add 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for that kick but lately, I omit this as well as the jalapeño to make it toddler friendly.

• Sugar: if you don’t have brown sugar substitute for granulated sugar. It will be just fine !

Essential kitchen tools for preparing chili

To make this recipe, I used a Dutch oven instead of a normal pot because I like how it distributes the heat evenly. You can always use a regular pot or even cook it in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours.

These are the items used in the recipe:

Mixing Bowl set

Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Tips and steps to make this easy and flavorful chili

1. If your meat is frozen, start by defrosting the meat and setting it aside.

2. Wash and cut/mince all of your vegetables to add them.

3. This is not necessary but you can add all the measured spices into a small bowl to bloom them. Blooming the spices is adding them to hot oil to release extra aroma and flavor.

4. Start always with the hardest vegetable. I started by adding first the red bell peppers followed by the onions and the garlic at last.

5. Add the mince and brown it with the vegetables .

6. To bloom the spices move all the meat and vegetables to one side and add a little extra oil on the empty space of the Dutch oven. Add all the spices at the same time and stir them to fry so all the flavor comes out.

7. Add the wet ingredients including the beans and tomatoes and simmer on low to medium heat.

Garnishes and leftovers

Chili is great with a lot of different toppings and with different types of food.

Some of my favorite garnishes are bacon bits, corn, cilantro, green onion, sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese among others.

You can eat chili in a bowl and scooped by Frito chips or with tortilla chips, on top of fries, on a bed of white rice or on nachos.

Chili leftovers are great for a busy weekday dinner or if you are tryin to meal prep. You can leave it in the fridge up to 4 days and freeze it for 2 weeks.