Classic Beef and Bean Chili
The pot of chili for game day and cold nights, with three quiet upgrades: spices toasted with the browned beef, a little cocoa and coffee for depth (you will not taste either one), and masa harina at the end for a thick, silky body.
Ingredients
- 2 lb (900 g) 90% lean ground beef
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, no salt added
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce, no salt added
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) brewed coffee
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) lower-sodium beef broth
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup (30 g) masa harina (baking or Hispanic aisle), or 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup (115 g) shredded sharp cheddar, to serve
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, to serve
- 3 scallions, sliced, to serve
Method
- Brown the beef with the onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the fat. Stir in the chili powder, cumin and tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Worth it: browned beef gives chili its savory backbone, and a minute in the hot pan wakes up the spices.
- Scrape it into the slow cooker. Add the green pepper, garlic, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, coffee, broth, cocoa, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne and salt. Stir until the cocoa dissolves. Cover and cook.
- Last 30 min: whisk the masa harina with 1/2 cup water until smooth, stir it in, turn to HIGH and cook 20 to 30 minutes, until thick.
Freezer: Freezes well without the toppings, up to 3 months.
- Wake it up
- A squeeze of lime or a splash of cider vinegar just before serving sharpens all the spices. Top with cheddar, sour cream and scallions.
- Next day
- Stir 2 cups of leftover chili into 2 cups of cooked elbow macaroni with a handful of cheddar for a pot of chili mac.
- Half batch
- Halve everything and use a 3- to 4-quart cooker.
- Swap
- Lighter: use 95% lean ground beef and Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
- Serve with
- Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread
Estimated nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 574
- Protein
- 45.2 g
- Fiber
- 8.5 g
- Sodium
- 773 mg
- Carbs
- 38.6 g
- Fat
- 27.7 g
- Sat. fat
- 12 g
This recipe is one of 100 in Easy Slow Cooker Soups and Stews Cookbook, each with a color photo and nutrition facts per serving.
View on AmazonWhat makes this chili taste different?
Three quiet upgrades do the work. First, the spices toast for a minute in the same hot skillet as the browned beef, right after the tomato paste goes in, which wakes up the chili powder and cumin instead of leaving them to simmer raw. Second, a half cup of brewed coffee and a tablespoon of cocoa powder go into the pot with everything else. Neither reads as coffee or chocolate once the pot is done; both just round out the tomato and beef into something deeper. Third, masa harina, the corn flour used for tortillas, gets whisked into water and stirred in for the last 30 minutes, which thickens the chili into a silky body instead of a thin, soupy one.
Which beans go into beef and bean chili?
This pot uses one 15 ounce can each of red kidney beans and pinto beans, both rinsed and drained before they go in. Rinsing washes off the thick canning liquid, which keeps the chili from turning cloudy or overly salty. Canned, no-salt-added diced tomatoes and tomato sauce build the base alongside them, so the only salt in the pot is the half teaspoon added on purpose, plus whatever you add at the table.
When does each ingredient go into the slow cooker?
One stovetop step comes first, then the slow cooker does the rest:
- On the stove: brown 2 pounds of ground beef with the diced onion over medium-high heat, 10 to 12 minutes, breaking it up, then drain the fat. Stir in the chili powder, cumin and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
- Into the slow cooker: the browned beef, green bell pepper, garlic, both beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, coffee, broth, cocoa powder, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne and salt. Stir until the cocoa dissolves, then cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or HIGH 3 to 4 hours.
- Last 30 minutes: whisk the masa harina with half a cup of water until smooth, stir it in, turn the cooker to HIGH, and cook 20 to 30 minutes until the chili thickens.
How do you wake it up before serving?
A squeeze of lime juice or a splash of cider vinegar right before serving sharpens every spice in the pot, the same way lemon does for a cream soup. Taste for salt once that is in, since canned beans and broth both carry their own salt and it is easier to add more than to fix an oversalted pot. Serve it topped with shredded sharp cheddar, a dollop of sour cream and sliced scallions.
Can you freeze beef and bean chili?
Yes, for up to 3 months, and it freezes well without any of the toppings. Cool it fully, pack it into a freezer-safe container or bag, and leave the cheddar, sour cream and scallions for serving day, since none of them freeze and thaw back to their fresh texture.
What can you make with the leftovers?
Turn two cups of leftover chili into a pot of chili mac. Stir it into two cups of cooked elbow macaroni with a handful of shredded cheddar, warm it through, and it is a different meal from the same pot, no extra sauce or seasoning needed.
Smaller batch, a lighter swap, and what to serve with it
For a smaller batch, halve every ingredient and use a 3 to 4 quart slow cooker instead of a 6 quart one. For a lighter pot, swap in 95% lean ground beef in place of the 90% lean, and use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream at the table; both cut fat without changing the cook time. The book serves this chili with Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread, and any skillet cornbread or warm tortillas work the same way alongside it.
This is one of 100 recipes in the Easy Slow Cooker Soups and Stews Cookbook, every one with a color photo, nutrition facts per serving and a freezer note.