Make this Easy Chili Recipe on the stovetop! Our basic chili is full of flavor and is simple enough to make for a weeknight dinner!
Warm up with a bowl of chili and a slice of skillet cornbread on the side! There are a million different ways to make chili, and everyone has their preferences as to what they want in their chili. Some want just the meat and beans, while others want all of the things!
In This Post
Behind The Recipe
This simple chili recipe was passed down from my mom! There were several picky eaters in our family, so my mom came up with an easy way to make chili without chunky vegetables. It is cooked on the stovetop, comes together in minutes, and is a flavorful, hearty meal that is perfect for cold evenings.
Easy Chili Recipe Ingredients
This easy chili recipe for the stove top is perfect for those who enjoy chili with only a few ingredients. For those who want more, I’ve included lots of suggestions and ideas to make this recipe in various ways.
- Ground Beef: We used ground beef as the meat in this easy chili recipe. See the section below for additional types of meat that you could use.
- Onion: Minced onions provide flavor. You can use dried minced onions or mince a fresh onion, depending on what you have on hand.
- Seasonings: We seasoned the meat with Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Beans: This easy chili recipe uses two cans of chili beans in a mild sauce. You can use other types of beans if you prefer, but you’ll want to add additional seasonings such as chili powder, garlic, and cumin to make up for the flavors of the mild sauce.
- Tomato: For the tomatoes, we added a can of condensed tomato soup. It is the perfect way to get the tomato flavor without chunks of tomatoes.
- Water: The water helps thin the chili. You can add more or less depending on how thick you want your chili to be.
How To Make Chili On The Stovetop
Brown the ground beef with the garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, minced onion, and black pepper. Drain and set aside.
Add the soup, beans, and water to a large pot and stir to combine. Stir in the beef mixture.
Bring it to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally, until it’s ready to serve.
Tips For Success
Best Meat For Chili
We prefer using 80/20 ground beef when making chili. You can swap out some or all of the ground beef in this easy chili recipe for another meat. A different meat choice can not only switch up the flavor of the chili but also make it lighter in some cases. Here are a few suggestions:
- Pork Sausage Chili: Add some ground pork sausage to the ground beef for additional flavor.
- Ground Chicken Chili: Swap out the ground beef with ground chicken.
- Ground Turkey Chili: Try using ground turkey instead of ground beef.
- Vegetarian Chili: Skip the meat and add more beans and some diced vegetables.
Additional Ingredients
We started off with this quick, easy stove top chili recipe that can be enjoyed as is, or ingredients can be easily adapted to what your family likes. Here are some ideas for additional ingredients:
- Beans: pinto beans, chili beans, kidney beans, black beans
- Vegetables: tomatoes, corn, carrots, onions, celery
- Peppers: bell peppers, jalapenos, chile peppers
- Spices: cumin, oregano, garlic, chili powder, paprika
Toppings For Chili
Simple, basic chili is good, of course, but adding toppings takes it to the next level! Since everyone likes different toppings for chili, put the toppings in small bowls and let everyone add what they want. Here are some popular toppings for chili:
- Veggies: chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, diced avocado
- Dairy: shredded cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt
- Salty: corn chips, tortilla chips, croutons, crackers
Storage
Store any leftover chili in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or you can make this easy chili recipe ahead of time and freeze it in individual portions for a quick lunch or dinner.
Variations
- Chili Without Beans: You can make this easy chili recipe without beans by increasing the ground beef to two pounds instead of one. Since there is double meat to brown, you’ll also need to double the minced onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Taco Chili: To give this chili recipe the flavor of tacos, prepare the ground beef with a packet of taco seasoning!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chili is one of those things that freezes well! Store any leftover chili in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or you can make this easy chili recipe ahead of time and freeze it in individual portions for a quick lunch or dinner.
Yes, you can make this easy chili recipe in a slow cooker instead of on the stovetop. Brown the ground beef as directed in the instructions. Then, put everything into a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3 – 3 1/2 hours or low for 6 hours until heated through.
The best side dishes for chili are cornbread, biscuits, breadsticks, dinner rolls, corn on the cob, taco salad, coleslaw, potato salad, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, nachos, hot dogs, and French fries.
More Soup Recipes
- Spicy Corn and Sausage Chowder is a hearty soup that’s perfect for cold nights.
- Hearty White Chicken Chili comes together quickly and is a family favorite!
- Slow Cooker Corn Chowder Recipe with Potatoes and Ham is the best comfort food.
- This Slow Cooker Taco Soup recipe is delicious and so easy to make!
Easy Chili Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 32 oz chili beans in mild sauce two 16 oz cans
- 10.75 oz can condensed tomato soup
- 1 ¼ cups water
Instructions
- Brown ground beef with the minced onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper. Drain and set aside.
- Put the chili beans, condensed tomato soup, water, and the browned beef mixture into a large pot. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.
Connie Kubitz says
I would like to make your chili without the tomato soup. I would like to use my garden tomatoes. Can you give me some Ideas on how to do this using the other ingredients in your chili recipe
Tonia says
I would suggest substituting the condensed tomato soup and water called for in the recipe with 5 or 6 medium chopped tomatoes (peeled or unpeeled depending on your preferences) along with their juices and 1 cup of chicken broth.
Connie Kubitz says
I love your facebook and web page. Thank you so much for getting back to me. You have such great information. Thank you from Hawley MN!
Tonia says
Thank you! You made my day!
Annette Boersma says
I made this tonight & it was delicious. Even the kids who were sure they wouldn’t like it, did! It turned out light & moist…I even thought I could have added a little more cornmeal. The one thing I did notice when making it is that in the ingredients list it calls for allspice, but in the directions it says nutmeg. I went ahead & used the allspice & think that is probably the right one, but I wanted to let you know so it could be corrected. Thanks!
Shirley says
Same as Annette – is it allspice or nutmeg? I did the allspice since I saw that first.
Looks wonderful – mine is in the oven so haven’t tasted it yet. Thanks.
Shirley
Tonia says
Sorry! Didn’t see these questions for some reason. It’s allspice, but if you don’t have any on hand you can use nutmeg or even more cinnamon instead. Enjoy! ~Tonia
Martha says
just made your cornbread, it tastes yummy but yours looks so much thicker than mine. Did you double the recipe? I was either thinking that or a smaller pan.
Tonia says
Hi Martha,
I used an 11×7 pan to make this cornbread. What size was your pan?
~Tonia
Martha says
I used 11×7, but it barely covered the bottom of the pan
Maria says
Yum that looks wonderful, the cinnamon sounds like a great flavor combination with the Chili! Your photography is beautiful!
Stephanie @ henry happened says
that cornbread looks yum! Everytime I make a batch it ends up like a brick, not sure what I’m doing. Cinnamon sounds like a great addition!
Anne @ Domesblissity says
Won’t be long and I’ll be looking for recipes like this Tonia. Looks so hearty.Anne xx
{Adventuresindinner} says
What a perfect dish to have during this last blast of winter.
Monica says
Hi,I am a new GFC follower. I found you on a grow your blog hop. I would love for you to stop by my site and return the favor and follow me back as well. If you are interested also check out our current giveaways. We have something for everyone right now.Thanks a lot!http://www.chunkyandmonkeymd.com
Jennifer @ Delightfully Noted says
Gorgeous foodie pic & I have never heard of cinnamon cornbread but sounds good to me. Pinning for sure!
Rachel {BubblyNatureCreations.com} says
That cornbread looks delicious… I would have never thought about cinnamon!!!! Yummy!!!
Devon Riesenberg says
YUM!I’ve never thought to make cinnamon cornbread with chili but I must try this 🙂 Chili is one of my favorite foods of all time, how did you end up liking it?
Tonii says
Oh my goodness Tonia…that looks amazing!! My kids LOVE cornbread, but they will go crazy over this stuff. Thank you so much for sharing, I will be making this within the week!! 🙂
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
This looks fabulous!
Lindsay @ Delighted Momma says
Looks delicious and your pictures are beautiful!