This Best Easy Chili Recipe is made with a shortcut spice packet that is just right for a classic mix of ground beef, tomatoes, and beans. With only 20 minutes of hands-on time you can have a homemade, crowd-pleasing dinner made on the stove, in the slow cooker, or in an electric roasting pan. Plus, it’s great for serving a large group on game day or for a fall get-together.
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I feel like the cat is being let out of the bag. I have served this Best Easy Chili Recipe for more than 20 years at our annual pumpkin carving party. Every year for the past 20+ years, friends and family gather together on the Sunday before Halloween and carve pumpkins in the afternoon. As the evening chill sets in, I serve this easy chili recipe alongside cornbread for dinner. We have had anywhere between 30-50 people at this event over the years.
My menu always stays the same. Yes, because it’s delicious, but more importantly because it’s easy. After chopping the veggies and browning the beef, everything gets dumped into the cooking vessel and simmered for hours. It’s the easiest way for me to look like I slaved away for hours on end. It’s an illusion, I promise. But an illusion I will happily continue to use.
Once it’s ready all you have to do is grab a bowl, ladle in a large scoop of chili, top with sharp cheddar cheese, diced white onion, and (if you are me) sour cream.
🐄 Ingredients
Ground beef: 90/10 ground beef is the perfect balance between beefy flavor and fat. If you are using a fattier grind be sure to drain really well.
Celery & onion: Classic aromatic vegetables that add a depth of flavor.
Beans: Four types of canned beans (pinto, Northern, black, and kidney) make for a colorful bowl of chili.
Tomatoes: Canned crushed tomatoes are an easy open-and-dump ingredient.
Chili spice packet: Carroll Shelby’s Chili mix is the brand I use. Nothing else tastes as good. It comes in a brown box next to the rest of the premade chili spice packets. Just in case you are wondering, I am not getting paid to say this. I have honestly used this exact packet for 20+ years. It has never let me down.
Quick trivia: Did you know that there is a Carroll Shelby Museum? I took my kids there on a field trip many years ago. It has nothing to do with chili...it’s all about cars. Before that trip I thought he was only famous for chili. I had no idea about his history with cars. Super fun trip!
🔪 Instructions
This really is as easy as:
- Chop
- Brown
- Dump
- Stir
Begin by dicing the celery and the onion. Place the ground beef and vegetables in a large stock pot and cook until meat is cooked through. My favorite tool for this is this meat masher - it makes easy work of breaking up the meat. Add in chili packet and cook in the hot beef to bring out the flavor of the spices. Add in the beans and tomatoes, then stir really well. Allow to cook on low to medium-low for 3-4 hours.
If you are cooking in the slow cooker or electric roaster, the ground beef can be browned in a skillet or stock pot. After adding the chili packet to the ground beef and vegetable mixture for 30 seconds, dump the meat, beans, and tomatoes into the chosen cooking vessel and stir really well.
Allow to cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. It is very important to allow the chili to cook long enough. It is during the cooking time that the heat begins to deepen the flavor. If you look carefully the tomatoes even change their color.
Serve with diced onion, cheese, and sour cream. If your group is anything like mine, don’t forget the cornbread...and lot’s of it!
👨👩👧👦 For a Crowd
I have used this Best Easy Chili Recipe to serve 50 people repeatedly. The easiest way to prepare this for a group of 15 or more is to do as much prep the day before. That means to chop the vegetables and brown them with the meat. Add in the spice packet towards the end of browning the meat and allow to cook for 30 seconds. Allow this mixture to cool and refrigerate for up to 2 days. On the day of serving, place all the ingredients in the desired cooking vessel and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, allowing the chili to develop it’s deep flavor.
If you are serving more than 12 people make sure you use an extra large stock pot, multiple slow cookers, or an electric roaster. To make sure that the cooking vessel (any of the three) doesn’t water down your chili, leave the lid slightly off center so that some of the steam can escape. Otherwise the condensation will drip down into the chili and cause it to water down.
🙋 Questions and Answers
Chili can easily be frozen. Once it is finished cooking, allow it to cool. Place it in a freezer-safe container. Label and freeze for up to 6 months. I often freeze this in two sizes: individual containers for lunches and in larger containers for a quick dinner. I especially like to use this during the summer when we go camping. The frozen container keeps the ice chest cold and when it’s time to cook dinner it’s as easy as dump and heat.
I find it easiest to prep ahead to the point where the meat is cooked and the spice packet added. I don't add the beans and tomatoes because it is hard to have enough refrigerator space to safely store a crockpot, large stock pot, or electric roasting pan full of chili. However, if you have enough space by all means prepare it fully and refrigerate.
If you are using a slow cooker insert it is best to remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before turning on the heat of the slow cooker. Allow it to sit on the counter and warm slightly. That way the slow cooker insert won’t break.
You may use dried beans if they have been cooked ahead of time. 1 pound of beans equals 4 (15 ounce) cans of beans. Because I include the canning liquid in this recipe I advise adding 2-3 cups of beef broth to thin the chili.
📖 Other comfort in a bowl recipes
- This crazy good White Chicken Chili is an easy, flavorful, and healthy dinner that can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker. The perfect meal for any chilly night!
- This warm, comforting Chicken Tortilla Soup is everything you want a soup to be. Easy, fast, accidentally healthy, and soul satisfying. A rich broth thickened with tortillas that is layered with deep Mexican flavors, tender bites of chicken, and a hint of spice.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Use this meat masher when cooking the beef. It makes super easy work of breaking up the meat evenly.
- If the ground beef is too liquidy, be sure to drain it before adding the spice packet.
- Don't shortcut on the cooking time. It really does develop a deeper flavor the longer it cooks.
- If making in the slow cooker or electric roaster, cook with the lid slightly off center, allowing some steam to escape. This way your chili won't be watered down.
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📋 Recipe
The Best Easy Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 onion
- 2 15 ounce cans pinto beans
- 1 15 ounce can northern beans
- 1 15 ounce can black beans
- 1 15 ounce can kidney beans
- 1 #10 can crushed tomatoes or 4 28 oz cans
- 1 box Carroll Shelby's Chili mix only the spice packet
- toppings: cheese, onion, sour cream optional
Instructions
- Dice onion and celery. Add ground beef and vegetables to a large stock pot and cook until meat is cooked through.
- Add spice packet from the box of chili mix and cook for 30 seconds. Set aside the other ingredients from the box.
- Add in the tomatoes and beans. Stir well until everything is combined.
- Cook uncovered on low to medium-low heat for 4-5 hours. Watch carefully so that the bottom doesn't burn.
- Serve with diced white onions, cheese, and sour cream.
Notes
- If the ground beef is too liquidy, be sure to drain it before adding the spice packet.
- Don't shortcut on the cooking time. It really does develop a deeper flavor the longer it cooks.
- If making in the slow cooker or electric roaster, cook with the lid slightly off center, allowing some steam to escape. This way your chili won't be watered down.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Jasmine says
Made this for my family last week. It was delicious and super easy.
Delani Denton says
Oh my gosh this makes me so excited for fall! This brings back so many memories for me carving pumpkins with you all. I can't wait to try it for myself.
Danielle says
Such good memories! Looking forward to the party. Let's hope we can still have it this fall.🤞🏻