Simple Chili With Ground Beef

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about our editorial process
Diana Rattray
Portrait of Diana Rattray smiling
Published on 10/02/19 by Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats's Editorial Process

Updated 10/02/19

Simple ground beef chili
Diana Rattray
  • Total: 35 mins
  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 20 mins
  • Yield: 6 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
543 Calories
16g Fat
50g Carbs
48g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 servings
Amount per serving
Calories 543
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 21%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 101mg 34%
Sodium 112mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 50g 18%
Dietary Fiber 14g 52%
Protein 48g
Calcium 149mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Chili seasoning mix makes this a very simple, tasty chili. Spice up this simple ground beef chili with hot ground cayenne pepper, extra chili powder, chopped jalapeno peppers, or mild chilis, cilantro, or other favorite ingredients. Scale the recipe up for a big party or game day gathering.

85% lean beef is a good ratio for chili, but feel free to go a little leaner to cut back on the fat content of the chili. 

Included is a simple homemade chili seasoning mixture that can be used instead of a commercial mix.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 envelope (1 3/4 ounces) chili seasoning mix (see the homemade mix below)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans or pinto beans, undrained
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet.

  2. Cook the ground beef and onions over medium heat until it is no longer pink.

  3. Stir in chili seasoning mix, and then add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.

  4. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

  5. Serve this chili with freshly baked cornbread or crackers.

Tips

  • It's easy to make chili seasoning mix from scratch. Combine 1 tablespoon of chili powder with 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons of dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
  •  Take the chili along to a party or tailgating event in a crockpot. Turn the crockpot on low for serving.

Recipe Variations

  • Substitute canned black beans for the kidney beans or pinto beans.
  • For a hot chili, add jalapeno peppers or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste.
  • Use seasoned "zesty" chili style tomatoes in the recipe or make it with fire-roasted tomatoes.