Hearty Beef Chili with Pinto Beans
This Hearty Beef Chili with Pinto Beans is thick, comforting, and packed with rich, bold flavor. It’s an easy homemade one-pot chili that’s perfect for cold nights, game day, or feeding a hungry crowd!
Best Beef Chili Recipe
We grew up in Iowa which means that we enjoyed a ton of beef chili. Mom loved making a “set it and forget it” Easy Slow Cooker Chili, which is quite similar to this one (with a few changes). Our small community also served chili and cinnamon rolls before Friday night football – a memory I happen to love!
Looking for a meal that’s easy on the wallet? This hearty chili brings together simple pantry staples into a big, comforting pot that can feed the whole family for days. Bean-lovers rejoice – we’re packing in plenty of protein while keeping it cozy, flavorful, and satisfying.
Reasons to love this chili:
- SIMPLE TO MAKE – This chili really is simple and fairly quick to make. Most of the time is spent letting it simmer, so you can make a side dish for your dinner too!
- HEARTY AND FILLING – As you can see on the nutrition calculation, you’re getting loads of protein and chili in a single serving (due to the beans and the beef). One bowl is plenty for most people!
- MODERATELY SPICY – The spiciness is at a medium level. Not mild and not super spicy. You can also tailor it to your taste buds which is nice.
- NO LARGE CHUNKS OF TOMATO – While I love tomatoes, I appreciate how smooth the broth is in this chili. I used crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes (salsa-style) so there aren’t large chunks. The kids will love that fact too!
- DELICIOUS LEFTOVERS – I think the leftovers are even better than eating this freshly cooked. Which is why you could make it on a Sunday and eat it all week long!
Ingredients Used:
- Veggies – You’ll need a medium yellow onion, a couple of large jalapeños, and a few garlic cloves. I included the seeds from one jalapeño and scraped out the seeds of the second one. Just the right amount of heat for us, but feel free to remove all seeds from both jalapeños.
- Meat – I used both ground beef AND some bacon for this chili to give it an extra amount of heartiness. The bacon adds great flavor!
- Tomatoes – Some tomato paste, and both crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes were used. If you can find the “salsa style” diced tomatoes, use those! The pieces of tomatoes are smaller and I really like using them. You could also just use all crushed tomatoes as well. The fire-roasted variety is the only thing I buy now, and adds just a little bit of extra flavor and heat.
- Beans – My favorite type of bean is pinto, so that’s what I used. You could substitute YOUR favorite bean as well. Make sure you rinse and drain them.
- Seasonings – Use a good amount of chili powder and ground cumin for an extra smokey flavor. These are my go-to spices for anything chili!
How to make Hearty Beef Chili:
Step 1
Sauté veggies. Heat a stock pot to medium high heat and add olive oil. Then add the chopped onions and jalapeños, and cook a few minutes. Add garlic and stir for another minute.
Step 2
Brown Beef. Add the ground beef and seasonings (chili powder, ground cumin, salt, and pepper) and cook until beef is browned, stirring frequently.
Step 3
Add bacon. Par-cook the bacon in the microwave or oven. Chop and add to the beef and veggie mixture and continue cooking.
Step 4
Add remaining ingredients. Then add the remaining ingredients to the pot – the tomato paste, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, brown sugar, and pinto beans.
Step 5
Simmer. Bring chili to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30 more minutes, or until chili is slightly thickened and piping hot.
Step 6
Serve. Serve soup with saltine crackers, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream. Enjoy!
While you may not enjoy piling the toppings on like I to, I must say that’s it my favorite way to eat chili. Gimme all the saltines and cheese and sour cream! I like it thick and full of all the tasty things!
Storing and Freezing:
- Store leftover beef chili in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- We prefer to meal prep this and store leftovers in meal prep containers for lunches-on-the-go.
- Freeze leftover chili by adding to freezer-safe container or freezer bag. This freezes very well for up to three months.
Other Delicious Chili Recipes:
Admittedly, we love our chili in all forms. Whether it’s white chicken, pumpkin with beans, or turkey with sweet potatoes, we’ve gotcha covered. All the different taste profiles for you to choose from for your bowl of comfort!
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can definitely make a mild chili by 1) omitting the jalapeño seeds (or all parts of the pepper), 2) using less chili powder and ground cumin, and 3) using mild versions of the canned tomatoes (instead of fire-roasted).
You can leave the beans out of the chili, but I recommend leaving them in. If you omit them, you may need to use less tomatoes as well.
The sugar balances the acidity from all the tomatoes. I think it adds the perfect hint of sweetness to the spicy ingredients as well.
To make this chili in the instant pot, simple use sauté function to cook veggies and meat and then add everything to the pot. Pressure cook for 9-10 minutes.
To make it in a slow cooker, sauté veggies and brown meat on the stove top. Add to slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients. Cook on low all day long or on high for about four hours.
I happen to LOVE all the toppings in chili, so I highly recommend them! However, you can omit them from the chili or use less.
What to serve with Hearty Beef Chili:
Besides the toppings I’ve mentioned, I recommend adding a few things to your meal, especially if you have big eaters!
- Serve it with bread. Try my Chewy French Bread or my latest Overnight Sourdough Bread
- Make a batch of the best Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread!
- Add a side salad with my delicious Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Hearty Beef Chili Recipe with Pinto Beans
Ingredients
For the beef mixture:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion – chopped
- 2 large jalapenos – diced (with or without seeds)
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
- 6 slices bacon – cooked and crumbled
The broth:
- 4 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup lower-sodium beef broth
- 30 oz. fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 30 oz. fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I use salsa-style) – or use crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 45 oz. pinto beans – rinsed and strained
- cheddar cheese, sour cream, and saltine crackers – to serve
Instructions
- Sauté veggies. Heat a stock pot to medium high heat and add olive oil. Then add the chopped onions and jalapeños, and cook a few minutes. Add garlic and stir for another minute.2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion, 2 large jalapenos, 3 cloves garlic
- Brown Beef. Add the ground beef and seasonings (chili powder, ground cumin, salt, and pepper) and cook until beef is browned, stirring frequently.2 pounds ground beef, 3 Tablespoons chili powder, 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
- Add bacon. Par-cook the bacon in the microwave or oven. Chop it up and add to the beef and veggie mixture and continue cooking.6 slices bacon
- Add remaining ingredients. Then add the remaining ingredients to the pot – the tomato paste, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, brown sugar, and pinto beans.4 Tablespoons tomato paste, 1 cup lower-sodium beef broth, 30 oz. fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, 30 oz. fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I use salsa-style), 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 45 oz. pinto beans
- Simmer. Bring chili to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30 more minutes, or until chili is slightly thickened and piping hot.
- Serve. Serve soup with saltine crackers, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream. Enjoy!cheddar cheese, sour cream, and saltine crackers
Notes
STORING AND FREEZING:
- Store leftover beef chili in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- We prefer to meal prep this and store leftovers in meal prep containers for lunches-on-the-go.
- Freeze leftover chili by adding to freezer-safe container or freezer bag. This freezes very well for up to three months.
Beef or Tomato Chili. I won more than my share of Chili Cookoffs and use a can of tomatoes (15 oz.) some times for 2 pounds of beef (chili ground or hand diced) It was good as written bit not Beef Chili or Hearty in Texas. I am pretty new to your blog and have enjoyed it to date. Thank you.
Excellent! I hadn’t made chili in quite a while and copied the ingredients I needed to buy in the dark of my car in the grocery store parking lot. I think this explained my accidental use of 30 oz of tomato paste instead of 4 T. I didn’t have beef broth so I used 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup red wine. I substituted ground turkey for beef and 2 cans pinto beans and 1 can black beans for the 3 cans pinto beans in the recipe. To reduce the spiciness, I used 1 can fire roasted diced salsa tomatoes and one can diced tomatoes and substituted mini sweet peppers (6 of them) for jalapeno peppers. I threw in 1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves just because I do that with a lot of things. My son and I had it with roasted garlic bread dipped in olive oil with seasonings. Great dinner for a December Friday night in Michigan. Next time, I’ll reduce the tomato paste per the recipe and use vegetable broth and more spinach!
Made this last week. Similar to a post above, we added Fritos to the bottom of bowl then also sprinkled some green onions on top after the sour cream. I’d add a photo, but not sure how. Great recipe Sue!
Thanks Tom!
I have done a lot of experimenting with Chili and have finally landed in the perfect recipe. I go down to meat market and get Chili Meat which further elevates this wonderful recipe!
The Texan in me loves pairing with jalapeño Fritos!!
AMEN!
How much salt and pepper? Mentions in cooking instructions but not listed in ingredients.
I always salt and pepper to taste. So it’s up to you how much to add.
This chili is bomb! The bacon is a great add. Thanks aunt Sue!
You’re very welcome, Aaron! So glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Just the chili I was looking for on a “cool” fall day!! So full hearty and full of flavor. I did leave out the bacon and used a poblano pepper to try to be a bit healthier. I loved every bite!!
Thanks so much, Shari! Glad you enjoyed the chili!
I made this chili a few days ago, exactly as is. My only mistake was chopping the hamburger too small. So “evidently” the texture wasn’t right, for that reason :). Otherwise, the ingredients and seasonings were JUST right. Loved the added bacon! We did include cheese and sour cream, and Craig added tons of saltines, which is what he does with every soup and chili. It’s a win!
Sounds like you have a picky eater on your hands, Jackie! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Simple. Spicy. Easy. What is not to like. I love this recipe.
Made this last night, it was great! I was unsure about using the bacon but it does give it a good smoky flavor. I did mine in slow cooker on high for about 3.5 hours. I enjoy your blog, it’s so positive and upbeat.