Beef and bean chili is loaded with ground beef, red beans, black beans, tomatoes, and spices. It's an easy, hearty meal that's perfect for a cold night, game day, or any night of the week.
What's great about this recipe
- It makes a big pot of hearty chili, perfect for feeding a crowd or having plenty of leftovers.
- It's a budget-friendly meal that comes out to about $3 per serving.
- It's great for meal prep and tastes even better the next day as the flavors have more time to come together.
- You can easily adjust the heat by adding or leaving out the cayenne pepper and dried chile peppers.
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Budget Check
- The full recipe is about $22-$25
- Per serving (8 servings): about $2.75-$3.15
Uses conventional ingredients. Based on recent U.S. national averages. Actual prices will vary by store and region.
Ingredients you'll need
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Oil - Use olive oil or your favorite oil suitable for sautéing.
Aromatics - Onion and garlic add flavor to the base of the chili.
Ground beef - Lean ground beef works well, or choose one with a little more fat for added flavor. Use your favorite.
Spices - Chili powder, salt, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, and dried chile de árbol add flavor and heat. If you prefer mild chili, reduce or eliminate the cayenne and dried chile peppers.
Tomatoes and broth - Diced tomatoes and beef broth make up the base of the chili. We use petite diced tomatoes, but regular diced tomatoes work too.
Beans - Black beans and red beans make the chili hearty and filling.
Suggested toppings and sides - Corn muffins, crackers, corn chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, chopped cilantro, diced white onion, sliced jalapeño peppers, and hot sauce are all good options. (Optional, not pictured.)
📖 See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
How to make beef and bean chili
- Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Raise heat to medium-high, add the ground beef, and stir to combine. Spread into one layer and cook for 3 minutes. Stir, break up large pieces, and cook another 3-5 minutes until browned. If needed, remove the pot from heat. Push the meat to one side, tilt the pot to pool the oil, and spoon out the excess. Keep 1-2 tablespoons for flavor. Return the pot to medium heat.
- Lower heat to medium. Add chili powder, salt, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne. Stir until the beef is evenly coated with spices.
- Add diced tomatoes, beef broth, bay leaf, and dried chile peppers (if using). Raise heat to high and bring to a boil (about 5-6 minutes). Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Raise heat to medium. Stir in red and black beans. Once it begins to simmer, uncover and cook for 45-55 minutes, or until thickened. Stir occasionally and lower the heat if it starts to boil too vigorously.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference, we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. Serve with your favorite toppings like cheese, sour cream, or green onions.
Recipe tips and notes
- Go easy on the salt at first since the canned ingredients can contain a good amount of sodium already. Taste the chili at the end and add more salt if needed.
- If you're sensitive to salt, use reduced-sodium beans, tomatoes, and beef broth if desired.
- Choose ground beef with your preferred fat content. I like the flavor from 80/20, but you may need to drain some of the excess fat after browning depending on the amount rendered. Leaner ground beef works well too.
- The chili thickens as it cooks uncovered. Stir more frequently toward the end of the cooking time to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Serving suggestions
- Serve a bowl of chili with corn chips, crackers, or cornbread on the side.
- Spoon leftover chili over a baked potato for an easy lunch or dinner.
- Use leftovers to make chili dogs topped with shredded cheese and your favorite toppings.
- Make chili cheese fries by spooning warm chili over French fries and topping them with shredded cheese.
Storing and reheating
Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. For food safety, refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F.
To freeze, transfer the chili to an airtight, freezer-safe container, leaving some room for expansion. Label and date. Freeze for 2-3 months for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat the chili in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, or reheat individual portions in the microwave. Heat leftovers to 165°F.
If you enjoyed this beef and bean chili, try our turkey chili for another hearty recipe, or switch things up with turkey white bean chili or easy chili mac. For something a little different, our chili cornbread casserole turns chili into an easy baked dinner.
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📖 Recipe
Beef and Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil or oil of your choice
- 1 Large Onion finely diced
- 5-6 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper optional - leave it out if you do not like spicy
- 1½ pounds Ground Beef
- 3 (14.5 ounce) Cans Diced Tomatoes (we use petite dice)
- 4 cups Beef Broth
- 1-2 Bay Leaves
- 1-2 Dried Whole Chile Peppers we used dried Chili de Arbol, optional
- 2 (15 ounce) Cans Black Beans drained and rinsed
- 2 (15 ounce) Cans Red Beans drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot (at least 6 quarts) over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for approximately 5 minutes until they start to soften, stir frequently.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef and stir to combine with the onion-garlic mixture. Arrange the meat in one layer and cook for 3 minutes.
- Stir, while breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon and cook another 3-5 minutes until the ground beef is browned. Stir occasionally. If there is too much oil in the pot after browning the beef, drain some (or all) of it. See Notes.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the chili powder, salt, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper and cayenne pepper, and stir well until combined with the ground beef.
- Add the diced tomatoes, beef broth, bay leaf and dried chili peppers (if using) and stir. Raise the heat to high, bring the liquid to a boil (will take about 5-6 minutes).
- Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes to let the flavors develop and come together, stirring occasionally.
- Raise the heat to medium. Add the red and black beans to the pot and stir. Cook the chili, half-covered, until it starts to simmer. Then, uncover the pot and cook for 45-55 minutes (longer if needed) until it thickens.
- Stir occasionally at first. As the chili thickens and reduces, stir more often to prevent sticking on the bottom. Keep it at a simmer, lowering the heat to medium-low (or further) if it starts boiling too vigorously.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours.
- Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
- Go easy on the salt at first since the canned ingredients can contain a good amount of sodium already. Taste the chili at the end and add more salt if needed.
- If you're sensitive to salt, use reduced-sodium beans, tomatoes, and beef broth if desired.
- To remove excess fat after browning the beef, take the pot off the heat and push the beef mixture to one side. Tilt the pot slightly so the fat pools on the other side, then use a large spoon or ladle to remove as much as desired. Return the pot to medium heat and continue with the recipe.
- For a milder chili, reduce or leave out the cayenne pepper and dried chile de árbol.
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Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
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