Need a quick easy chili recipe for the family that you can throw together for a weeknight? No worries! Just brown the burger and everything else just goes in the crockpot! Come home to a house that smells wonderful and a hot meal in your belly!
Quick Easy Chili
We love this chili, especially as the days grow shorter and cooler. It's perfect for weeknights and then you can use the leftovers for lunches, with nachos or over baked winter squash! Yeah, I said it and it's GOOD!
While you are trying out chili recipes, you might want to try this Best Sweet Amish Chili Soup Recipe (Country Dinner)
Here's What You'll Need:
- Ground Beef - 1 lb of browned ground beef (only brown until the meat is almost done, it will finish in the crockpot). Use 80/20 beef if possible.
- Diced Tomatoes - 2, 15oz cans. If you want to add the kind that has flavors added, that's fine too (fire roasted, garlic, Italian spices, etc.)
- Beans - Use black beans, Cannellini beans and chili beans. After much trial and error, our family prefers these three types of beans because the skins are thinner and the beans are less overwhelming.
- Seasoning - You'll need 1 Tbs Garlic Powder, 1 packet Taco Seasoning and 3 Tbs (one packet) Ranch dressing seasoning.
The Key Steps for Great Quick Easy Chili!
- Brown the hamburger.
- Pour everything into a crockpot and set on low for 6-8 hours. Conversely, use a dutch oven and cook on the stove top over medium for 30 minutes or even in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
There are LOTS of chili recipes out there and this one has the basics, a browned or roasted meat in a tomato type sauce with spices and possibly beans.
This chili does NOT have to cook long at all, however, many chili's do. This is because it can take a while for flavors to marry or med and some things as they cook become more mellow or more hot.
If you like a very thick chili, make sure to drain the extra fluid out of the tomato cans, the black beans and the cannellini beans first.
To thin a chili, you'll only need to add some water or broth. Broth, of course, will give you more flavor.
No, while that would be more convenient, the ground beef will want to clump together while cooking and then once done, it would be impossible to break it apart without also ruining the beans.
You CAN however, use hamburger crumbles that are already cooked, broken up and frozen. Try using the vegetarian type!
Actually, yes, if you prefer to use fresh garlic, just substitute about 3-4 cloves for the garlic powder in this recipe.
If you want onions in your chili, saute them with the hamburger before starting the chili. I would do ½ an onion chopped small.
That depends on what you want from your onion. A sweet or purple onion will give you soft sweet onion notes. If you want the bright onion flavor that will likely stand up to the other seasonings in chili, you'll want to use a white onion.
Chili goes so great with homemade mexican cornbread
Corn pudding even grits!
Offer with toppings so everyone can make it their own:
Corn chips
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese
Cilantro
Green onions
Chopped white onions
Hot Sauce
Crackers
Tortillas
Corn
Guacamole
Yes, it's one of the best table to freezer meals out there! Put in a freezer safe container, remove as much air as possible and then freeze for up to 3 months.
Chili will last covered in the fridge for about 5 days. Do not allow to sit out for more than 2 hours.
Tips and Tricks for Quick Easy Chili
- This recipe is so versatile, you can always substitute in other beans. Try pintos, kidney beans or even garbanzos!
- Zest up your recipe with more spicy chili powders or add in about 3 Tbs hot sauce.
- Don't over brown the burger to begin with, just enough so that it is a little past pink and won't clump back up while cooking. Over browning will then over cook the meat and it will get that grainy, mealy texture in the finished chili.
- You shouldn't need to add any salt or pepper to the finished chili, the spices that are added are fairly salty as is and I have never needed to add any salt.
- Garnish your chili with some green onions or cilantro. Offer shredded cheese, sour cream, corn chips, hot sauce and limes with your chili for a fun colorful meal.
Watch Me Make Quick Easy Chili!
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Quick Easy Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef 80/20 for best results, browned
- 15 oz black beans drained
- 15 oz cannellini beans drained
- 15 oz chili beans NOT drained
- 30 oz diced tomatoes
- 3 tbs ranch dressing mix 1 packet
- 2 tbs taco seasoning 1 packet
- 1 tbs brown sugar
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until just past pink. Drain the ground beef.
- Mix the remaining ingredients together with the ground beef, stir well. Select how you wish to cook this chili.
For Crockpot
- Place mix into the crockpot and set on low to cook for 6-8 hours.
For the Stovetop
- Place the mix in a stockpot or large saucepan and heat over medium heat until heated through. Serve hot.
For the Oven
- Place into a dutch oven and heat in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes until heated through and bubbly.
Notes
- Do not add salt and pepper until ready to serve. You should find that it won't need any, but add at the end if it does.
- If you want a thinner chili, simply add some water.
- Serve with the usual chili toppings: onions, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, chips, crackers, etc.
Nutrition
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