As the cooler temperatures are approaching, my desire to start making some of our family soup recipes. One of my favorite soup recipes that was passed down to me is Nana’s Ground Beef and Bean Chili.
When I make a batch of this chili, I prefer to make it the night before and reheat it before dinner. This allows for all of the flavors to meld together. It creates a smoother and savoury taste. There is also something about red sauce dishes being reheated on the stove. If you make the chili the night before and bake some bread the day of, you will have a meal fit for a king!
Ingredients
- Ground beef – Nana’s always used lean ground beef for her chili recipe. If you prefer you can substitute the ground beef with ground turkey, ground pork, ground chicken or any other ground meat.
- Onion – Onions will give the chili a texture along with the flavour. Nana always used diced onion. Yellow onion, white onion, or green onions are all options for making this chili.
- Sweet Peppers – Both a red bell pepper and a green bell pepper are needed for this recipe. If you do not have one of each color, you can add any two sweet peppers. Some will also add a poblano or cayenne pepper to give their chili a little heat.
- Garlic – Ok, can you tell me, what is a dish without garlic? Almost every meal I make has garlic in it. It is one of our favorite spices. If you do not have garlic cloves, you can substitute it for garlic powder or granulated garlic.
- Celery – Adding celery to your soup will help round the flavour of your soup out by giving it a savoury flavor. We prefer to use coarsely chopped celery. If your family doesn’t care for celery chunks, you can puree it.
- Tomatoes – Now it is time to get into the base of the chili, tomatoes. We use our fresh canned whole tomatoes from the garden. Drain the tomatoes and dice them into bite-sized pieces. You can use any kind of tomato you want, even store bought diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes.
- Tomato sauce – The tomato sauce or tomato puree will simply give the chili a large base without the chunks.
- Tomato paste – The tomato paste is a natural thickening agent for the soup. It will give a more bold tomato flavour as well.
- Beans – We choose to use the small red beans called kidney beans in our soup. If you do not have them handy, you can use any type of bean you want including white beans, pinto beans, or even black beans. Keep in mind, it may give your chili a little different flavor.
- Corn – Corn is in chili is a special additive that Nana used to add. All kids love corn and it always seemed to help them enjoy their bowl of chili even more.
- Sugar – Adding sugar to the chili will help alleviate some of the bitterness caused by the tomatoes.
- Spices – I have a homemade chili seasoning recipe for you, if you make this seasoning ahead of time you don’t have to measure out each individual spice. Head over to my Homemade Chili Seasoning blog to grab the recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and remove all but 1 tablespoon of the excess grease.
- Add onions, and continue cooking until they begin to brown.
- Add peppers, celery, and garlic. If you do not have a Dutch oven, you can use a large pot.
- Add all seasonings, sugar, and spices. Cook until fragrant. Then add tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, beans and corn. Stir very well.
- Cover and bake at 350° F for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, cook covered on the stovetop for 2 hours until thickened. If using a large pot, you will have to cook it on the stove.
Nana's Chili
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
- 1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 3 ribs celery, strings removed, coarsely chopped
- 2 quarts canned tomatoes, chopped and drained
- 1 quart tomato sauce
- 1 tin (8 oz) tomato paste
- 2 quarts kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 pint canned corn, drained
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 6 Tbsp chili powder, more to taste
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp chili flakes, more or less to taste
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp dark cocoa powder*
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a large Dutch oven. Add onions, and continue cooking until they begin to brown. Add peppers, celery, and garlic.
- Add all seasonings, sugar, and spices. Cook until fragrant. Then add tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, beans and corn. Stir very well.
- Cover and bake at 350° F for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, cook covered on the stovetop for 2 hours until thickened.
Notes
Variations
Nana’s Ground Beef and Bean Chili is a very versatile recipe. You can add more vegetables or even substitute many vegetables. Some people have even added hot sauce to give it a little spice.
Try boiling your chili down until it is rather thick and enjoying it with tortilla chips or served on buns over hot dogs.
There are so many different toppings to garnish your bowl of chili with.
- Fresh Cilantro
- A Dollop of Sour Cream
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Sliced Jalapeños
This recipe is the best chili recipe because it can be turned into the perfect stew to please the whole family.
How to Store
You can store Nana’s Homemade Chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftover chili freezes very well. You can freeze any of your leftover chili to be enjoyed at a later time. If you choose to freeze it, be sure you allow plenty of room for it to expand during the freezing process.
FAQ’s and Troubleshooting
- How long can chili sit out on the counter
- The general rule of thumb is 2 hours, then it should be placed in the fridge.
- My chili is too watery, how can I thicken it?
- The best way to thicken it is by letting it cook down for longer. Serving it the next day will also thicken it some when it is reheated.
- Can I use brown sugar instead of sugar?
- Most definitely. Brown sugar will also help alleviate some of the acid of the tomatoes.
6 thoughts on “Nana’s Ground Beef and Bean Chili”
Hiya Chelsea I’d like to be put on the preorder list for your cookbook please. Thank you xjx
Hi there, you can get notified when I do a pre-order by signing up for my newsletter. Here’s the link https://littlemountainranch.ca/newsletter-signup/
Sounds like an amazing recipe. I will be trying it for my sons and I.
I hope you love it!
I did add corn left it out
Chili is really good
I’m so glad you liked it!