This simple homemade chili recipe is perfect when you feel a crisp breeze in the fall! The classic cozy flavors are a great meal choice when the weather turns cold.

Homemade Chili Ingredients

The Main Ingredients

This delicious soup primarily consists of ground beef, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. The ground beef provides some body and structure as well as a large amount of protein. The diced tomatoes and tomato sauce also provide a lot of structure to the dish as well as delicious base flavor.

Seasonings and Other Additions

The other ingredients in this recipe include some onions and herbs like oregano, basil and fresh garlic. The other “flavor enhancers” that I use are just simple sea salt and black pepper. Although they may be small, they are definitely mighty! Especially in recipes that are all from scratch!!

The last addition to this soup is navy beans. Typically, chili includes black, pinto or kidney beans. However, I like to use navy beans. I chose navy beans because they are small, white and a smoother texture. As someone who did not grow up eating or liking any kind of beans, these seemed like a great option to start eating. Navy beans are great because their white color is easy to pick out if someone doesn’t want to eat them. Yet, they are small and smooth enough that many blend in with the pieces of ground beef.

Whether you add noodles or not, it’s up to you. If you include some kind of carbohydrate, it helps to stretch this soup just a bit further. This is important especially when you plan on making this recipe to feed a crowd!

Looking for more easy ground beef recipes? You might also enjoy this Shepherd’s Pie Recipe or this Italian Meatball Recipe Without Breadcrumbs!

Substitutions In Homemade Chili

As with any cooking recipe, there are a few substitutions that can be made to this delicious chili in the event you don’t have all the exact ingredients listed.

The first ingredient is the protein. This recipe calls to use ground beef because it’s generally a cheaper cut of meat. If you don’t have ground beef or like to use a different ground meat, you can definitely use a different ground meat. As an alternative, you can use ground Italian sausage or ground chicken or turkey!

The second ingredient is the onion. This recipe calls to use a yellow onion. If you like to use another style of onion, you can use that here. A red or white onion will work just as well in this recipe. Just use the kind of onion you like to keep on hand.

The third ingredient is the beans. Although this recipe calls to use navy beans, you can use whichever kind of beans you prefer or keep on hand. Many times, I don’t have canned beans prepared. So, I will soak and cook dry beans.

Storing Homemade Chili

There are two main ways you can store this homemade chili. The first way is for the short term and includes putting the soup in an air tight container (or a covered cooking pot) into the fridge. I recommend storing your soup in the fridge for 3-5 days.

If you know you’re not going to eat all of this soup within 3-5 days, I recommend freezing it. To freeze, you can use any freezer safe air tight container like a freezer ziploc bag, straight walled glass jars, or thick plastic deli containers. If kept in a deep freezer, this soup can store for 6-12 months.

Ingredients & Tools

1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1-1 ½ cups)

1 TBSP freshly minced Garlic (or 2 tsp Garlic Powder)

2 TBSP Chili powder

1 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Oregano

½ TBSP Ground Cumin

½ TBSP Parsley

1 Lb Ground Beef

16 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes

16 oz Tomato Sauce

1 pint jar of cooked Navy Beans (about 1 ½ cups)

Salt & Pepper to taste (I use at least ~1 tsp salt & at least ½ tsp pepper)

1-2 TBSP high heat cooking oil (lard, tallow or coconut oil)

A large stockpot

A large wooden or metal spoon

Directions

Place your large stock pot on medium heat and saute the ground beef. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper.

When the beef is about halfway cooked, add the chopped onion.

Cook until the onions become translucent. Add the garlic and other spices. Stir well and cook until fragrant.

Once the garlic is fragrant add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and canned (or precooked) beans. Stir well and heat through.

Test the chili for flavor and add any salt or pepper as needed.

Your chili is now ready to enjoy! Serve as desired.

FAQ:

What Are the Ingredients in Homemade Chili?

Can I Add Noodles To This Chili?

What Other Protein Can I Use for Chili ?

This recipe calls to use ground beef because it’s generally a cheaper cut of meat. If you don’t have ground beef or like to use a different ground meat, you can definitely use a different ground meat. As an alternative, you can use ground Italian sausage or ground chicken!

Can I Use A Different Kind Of Onion?

This recipe calls to use a yellow onion. If you like to use another style of onion, you can use that here. A red or white onion will work just as well in this recipe. Just use the kind of onion you like to keep on hand.

How Do I Store Homemade Chili?

There are two main ways you can store this chili. The first way is for the short term and includes putting the soup in an air tight container (or a covered cooking pot) into the fridge. I recommend storing your chili in the fridge for 3-5 days.

If you know you’re not going to eat all of this chili within 3-5 days, I recommend freezing it. To freeze, you can use any freezer safe air tight container like a freezer ziploc bag, straight walled glass jars, or thick plastic deli containers. If kept in a deep freezer, this chili can store for 6-12 months.

Did you try this? Share your creations in the comments or by tagging @MissysHomestead on Instagram.

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