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Easy Ground Beef Chili

By Katie Leaird

Published on January 3, 2018

Time

1½ hours

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Easy Ground Beef Chili

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes 2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 ½ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef Salt and pepper 3 tablespoons chili powder 1—2 tablespoons canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce 1 tablespoons ground coriander 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 cups water

Before You Begin

Serve with sour cream, pickled jalapeños, shredded cheese, and diced avocado.

Instructions

  1. Process onion in food processor until finely chopped, about 10 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to bowl; set aside. In now-empty food processor, process tomatoes and their juice and half of beans until smooth, about 30 seconds; set aside.
  2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add beef, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and onion and cook, breaking up meat with spoon, until any liquid has evaporated and fond begins to form on bottom of pot, 12 to 14 minutes. Add chili powder, chipotle, coriander, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in water, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomato mixture and remaining beans. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover with lid slightly ajar. Simmer until thickened and flavors have blended, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Easy Ground Beef Chili

Easy Ground Beef Chili

Headshot of Katie Leaird
By Katie Leaird
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Time

1½ hours

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ½ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons chili powder
1—2 tablespoons canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 cups water

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ½ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons chili powder
1—2 tablespoons canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 cups water

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ½ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons chili powder
1—2 tablespoons canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 cups water

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

To create deeply flavorful chili, we started by building a hearty fond (browned bits of beef) on the bottom of the pot. Then we bloomed the dried spices in hot oil to bring out their lively personalities. We pureed half the beans with canned tomatoes to thicken the chili without having to simmer it all day, adding the remaining beans later on to give our chili heft and texture.

Before You Begin

Serve with sour cream, pickled jalapeños, shredded cheese, and diced avocado.

Instructions

  1. Process onion in food processor until finely chopped, about 10 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to bowl; set aside. In now-empty food processor, process tomatoes and their juice and half of beans until smooth, about 30 seconds; set aside.
  2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add beef, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and onion and cook, breaking up meat with spoon, until any liquid has evaporated and fond begins to form on bottom of pot, 12 to 14 minutes. Add chili powder, chipotle, coriander, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in water, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomato mixture and remaining beans. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover with lid slightly ajar. Simmer until thickened and flavors have blended, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

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