Simple Chili Recipe | The Modern Proper (2024)

Beefy, porky, beany and most of all EASY, the Monday night blahs are no match for this super hearty, super delicious chili recipe.

Quite Simply a Simple Chili Recipe

Homemade chili doesn’t have to be a whole thing. Sometimes it’s fun to go over the top—if you’re looking to do that, may we suggest you hop on over to our award-winning chili recipe. There’s also our White Bean Chicken Chili recipe if you’re looking for another tasty chili, but without the beef. But sometimes you just want to eat chili ASAP. Beefy and full of spices and beans, too, this chili recipe will get you there quick and is quite delicious despite being substantially easier than most chili recipes. You can adjust the heat, too—if you want spicy chili, double the jalapeño. If you need it to be mild, stick with just one and be sure to carefully remove the seeds. Lean beef and pork mean that this chili recipe is loaded with protein and, of course, low carb too. If you’re not worried about carbs, though, whip up a batch of cornbread while the chili simmers—you can thank us later.

What Is the Best Secret Ingredient for Chili?

Easy. The best chili recipe ever is one that gets enough time on the stove. That’s why, even though this chili recipe is super simple—mostly pantry ingredients, and not much prep time at all—it still requires about 45 minutes of simmering on the stove. There’s simply no way around the deep and wonderful way that all of the chili ingredients come together when they have time over heat to meld into each other. We’re not asking much effort with this one, so just give it time and you’ll be richly rewarded! Plus, like we said above, use that simmer time to make some cornbread and take your chili dinner to the next level.

The Best, Simplest Beef Chili Ingredients

If you’re the kind of smarty who keeps ground meat in the freezer and some canned stuff and spices in the cupboard, you just might have all of these ingredients on hand already! And even if you’re not, these are easy-to-find, inexpensive things that you can probably remember to grab even if you leave your grocery list at home. Here’s everything you’ll need to make our simple chili recipe:

• Meat: Ground beef and ground pork.

• Veggies: onion, bell peppers, fresh garlic, jalapeños.

• Spices: garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, brown sugar.

• Kidney beans.

• Canned tomatoes.

• Chicken or beef stock.

How To Make the Easiest Chili Ever

Yeah, start-to-finish this chili recipe will take about an hour. But most of that time is totally inactive time, meaning you can use it to get other stuff done or play with your kids or watch TV or seriously, make that cornbread. Here’s how easy this chili recipe is to make:

1. Cook the ground meats with the onion, peppers, jalapeño and garlic.

2. Add the spices, beans, stock and tomatoes.

3. Bring the chili to a boil!

4. Stir constantly for about five minutes, to give everything a chance to mix together.

5. Simmer for about half an hour, until the chili tastes perfect.

6. Dig in!

The Best Chili Toppings

Chili night excitement is sort of like baked potato night excitement in our homes—it’s all about the toppings! What are your favorite chili toppings? Our absolute favorite, go-to chili toppings are:

• Cheese! Cheddar is classic, but we sometimes put out shredded mozzarella, too.

• Sour cream. Full-fat, real-deal sour cream please and no subs!

• Scallions.

• Avocado. Because we love it, and it makes us feel like we’re fitting in something green (almost unheard of on chili night).

Can I Make It Ahead? How To Store and Freeze This Easy Chili Recipe.

Yep! This chili will keep well in the fridge for a few days and you can definitely freeze it if you’d like to! It’ll keep in the freezer for up to three months, but the kidney beans may lose a bit of their texture. This chili recipe is also one of our favorites for making for friends—hellooo meal trains!

Tools You’ll Need:

• Sharp knife

• Cutting board

• Stock pot

More Chili Recipes to Try

• Turkey Pumpkin Chili

• Vegetarian Chili

• Crockpot Paleo Chili

• Award Winning Chili

• Green Chicken Chili Soup

Winter Weather Is No Match for This Cozy Chili Recipe

Stick-to-your-ribs comfort is what this chili recipe is all about. We hope you try it and we hope you love it! When you do, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!