Making a delicious and hearty Dutch oven chili at home has never been so easy.
This savory dish is cozy and bursting with flavors, perfect for days when you’re craving something warm and comforting. Serve it with crackers or air fryer tortilla chips for a delightful, texture-filled experience. If you’re looking for a filling meal, you can serve this chili made in a Dutch oven with either Instant Pot cornbread or Instant Pot baked potato instead.
Chili has always been a popular dish, considering it makes a delicious dinner. Plus, you can use any leftover Dutch oven chili to make tacos or chili dogs the next day.
So, if making comfort foods is your thing, then cooking chili in a Dutch oven is also something you need to try.
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What Makes a Chili?
Traditionally, chili is made using ingredients like coarsely chopped beef or other meat, dried chili powder, garlic, onion, a type of liquid, some seasoning, tomato, and masa to thicken it.
There are many variations to this basic recipe, though. Texas-style chili is usually prepared using three ingredients: meat, chili peppers, and spices. Meanwhile, Southerners and Midwesterners add beans or vegetables to make it their own.
Why Is Chili So Popular?
Chili, or Chili Con Carne (“chili peppers with meat”), has always been a treat for many folks, particularly in cold weather. But have you ever wondered how it came to be so popular?
Apparently, this dish has a long history spanning centuries! This particular soup or stew may have existed as early as the 1700s, thanks to those who settled in San Antonio, Texas.
Even then, chili was already a very popular dish among pioneers and cowboys because of its delicious flavors and flexibility. Its tie to Texas is so strong that the state named chili its official dish.
Is Chili Healthy?
The nutrient content of chili may vary depending on the ingredients you put in it.
For example, dishes made with ground beef may have higher fat content, while ground turkey or ground chicken meat has lower fat content. Those with vegetables like tomatoes may have higher antioxidants and other nutrients than those without.
Many will agree, however, that chili is a great dish to eat because of how hearty and delicious it is.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you’re on the hunt for reasons to make a hearty bowl of delicious chili, here are some that should convince you to try this great recipe:
- Easy recipe: Thankfully, no overly complicated steps are involved in making this Dutch oven chili. Even those new to cooking shouldn’t shy away from attempting it.
- Incredibly versatile: Some say that no two families’ chili recipes are the same, thanks to the dish’s incredible versatility. It can be spicy, savory, sweet or smoky, depending on the ingredients and spices you prefer to use.
- Enhanced flavors: Dutch ovens are well-suited for slow cooking, which allows the chili to develop deep, complex flavors. The low and slow cooking process helps tenderize the meat and allows the spices and seasonings to infuse into the dish.
- Tasty leftovers: Chili tastes even better the next day, as the flavors have had time to meld. Leftover chili can be reheated for a quick and satisfying meal.
- One pot cooking: You will love the convenience of cooking in just one pot, plus the cleanup is easy.
If you want to try making chili another way, here’s how you can make the very best (and easiest) Instant Pot chili.
🥘 Ingredients
Here are some of the ingredients that you’ll need to cook the chili:
- Ground beef: This type of meat is amazing for making chili since it’s quick to cook and less expensive than other cuts of beef. You can use either lean ground beef or ground beef with higher fat content if you like chili that is richer in flavor.
- Bell peppers: These can add a bit of natural sweetness to the chili.
- Crushed tomatoes: This gives the chili recipe a smoother texture.
- Spices like cayenne, chili powder, ground cumin, and paprika: These seasonings will infuse the ground beef with so much flavor.
See recipe card for complete list of ingredients and quantities.
🔀 Substitutions
Don’t have the main ingredients mentioned above? Don’t worry, you can swap them out for these.
- Ground beef: Instead of beef, using either ground turkey or ground chicken will still make this easy chili recipe delicious.
- Crushed tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes will work as a substitute if you don’t mind a chunkier chili. Tomato puree can also work.
- Onions and garlic: Use onion powder and/or garlic powder if you’re out of fresh ones.
- Spices: Use this msg-free homemade chili seasoning as a substitute.
🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins
Here are some ways to give the best chili recipe a great twist:
- Go sweeter: If you or your guests are a fan of sweet chili, then adding some sugar to the dish should do the trick. Start with a tablespoon of sugar, then add more as needed. You can also use honey if preferred.
- Up the spice level: Do you like hot chili? Adding chopped jalapeno peppers should make the dish as spicy as possible. Plus, keeping the seeds in would make it even hotter.
- Make it even more nutritious: Adding kidney beans to chili will boost its protein, carbohydrate, and fiber content. They’re a great addition to chili, especially if you’re after improving your heart health through diet. Also, you can add other vegetables like black beans, pinto beans, corn and carrots if desired.
- Add tomato paste: You can stir in tomato paste after sautéing the aromatics. Cooking the paste for a few minutes will deepen its flavor and add complexity to your chili.
Chili made from chicken is heavenly. Try making Instant Pot white chicken chili for your next meal.
🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
Alongside the ingredients, here are the tools you will need to make this delicious recipe:
- Dutch oven: This is what you will use to cook the meat and vegetables.
- Knife: You need the knife to chop up the onion and bell peppers.
- Cutting board: It makes chopping vegetables easier thanks to its flat surface.
🔪 How to Make Dutch Oven Chili
Here are the amazingly easy steps to make your own Dutch oven chili at home:
Step 1: Heat the Dutch Oven
Get the Dutch oven hot over medium heat or a low, steady flame.
Step 2: Start Cooking the Beef
Add the ground beef to the Dutch oven. Stir occasionally as you work on browning the meat.
Step 3: Season the Beef
Next, season the ground meat with salt and pepper and mix. Then, remove the meat from the Dutch oven and drain any excess grease without rinsing. Set the ground beef aside.
Step 4: Prepare the Vegetables
Chop the onion and peppers into small pea-sized bits before putting them in the Dutch oven.
Step 5: Cook the Vegetables
Sauté the onion and peppers for eight to 10 minutes until they’re tender, and the onions are translucent. Next, add the garlic and sauté for another two minutes.
Step 6: Add the Beef
Put the ground beef back into the Dutch oven and mix it with the vegetables.
Step 7: Add Tomato Sauce
Then, add the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes to the pot and mix them in. Cover the Dutch oven and allow a slow boil to further cook the ground meat.
Step 8: Add the Spices
Remove the lid, add the remaining spices, and mix the dish well. Place the cover back and let the chili simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat.
Step 9: Add Masa Harina
Remove the lid and stir in the masa harina to thicken the chili. Reduce the heat and then cover the Dutch oven. Let it cook on low heat for an hour or 300 F.
Step 10: Let It Cool
Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and allow it to cool.
Step 11: Serve and Enjoy
Serve the chili with shredded cheese, sour cream, corn chips, cornbread and/or crackers on the side. Savor and enjoy.
👩🍳 Pro Tips
Make this chili like a pro with these tips.
- You can add a drizzle of olive oil in the Dutch oven before adding the ground beef.
- If this stovetop chili turns out too thick for your taste, you may add some chicken broth, beef broth, or water to thin it out. Add just enough liquid to help the dish boil and simmer better.
- If you like a thicker chili, then allow the chili to simmer for a bit while uncovered. This will also help make the chili even more flavorful.
- Allow your chili to simmer slowly over low heat. This slow cooking process allows the flavors to meld and intensify, resulting in a richer and more complex taste.
❓ Recipe FAQs
You can store any leftover chili by transferring it to an airtight container and then putting it in the fridge.
Alternatively, put the airtight container with the chili inside the freezer instead of the fridge. When stored this way, it can last for up to three months.
If you’re reheating chili from the fridge, you can reheat it in the microwave or over the stovetop.
However, if you’re reheating frozen chili, you may want to let it thaw overnight before reheating it.
It depends on your preferences. Sour cream, Greek yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado, chopped or diced onions, or chopped jalapenos are all amazing toppings.
🙏 Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with easy Dutch oven chili recipe:
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📋 Recipe
Dutch Oven Chili
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1/2 purple onion
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 tablespoons masa harina
Instructions
- Get the Dutch oven hot over medium heat or low steady flame.
- Start cooking the beef by adding it to the Dutch oven. Stir occasionally as you work on browning the meat.1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- Season the ground meat with salt and pepper. Remove the meat from the Dutch oven and drain any excess grease from it without rinsing. Set the ground beef aside for now.1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Chop the onion and peppers into small pea-sized bits before putting them in the Dutch oven.1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, 1/2 purple onion
- Sauté the vegetables for eight to 10 minutes until they're tender and the onions have become translucent. Next, add the minced garlic and sauté for another two minutes.2 tablespoons garlic
- Put the ground beef back into the Dutch oven and mix it with the vegetables.
- Add both the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes to the pot and mix them in. Cover the Dutch oven and allow a slow boil to start to further cook the ground meat.1 cup crushed tomatoes, 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- Remove the lid and add all the remaining spices before mixing well. Place the cover back and let the chili simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat.3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon oregano
- Remove the lid and stir in the masa harina. Reduce the heat and then cover the Dutch oven. Let it cook on low heat for an hour or 300 F.2 tablespoons masa harina
- Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and allow it to cool.
- Serve the chili with your preferred toppings. Savor and enjoy.
Notes
Pro Tips
- You can add a drizzle of olive oil in the Dutch oven before adding the ground beef.
- If this stovetop chili turns out too thick for your taste, you may add some chicken broth, beef broth, or water to thin it out. Add just enough liquid to help the dish boil and simmer better.
- If you like a thicker chili, then allow the chili to simmer for a bit while uncovered. This will also help make the chili even more flavorful.
- Allow your chili to simmer slowly over low heat. This slow cooking process allows the flavors to meld and intensify, resulting in a richer and more complex taste.