Quick Chili Recipe (Easy) — Zestful Kitchen (2024)

Most chili recipes require forethought and planning since they require hours of simmering time. We wanted to create a chili recipe that’s deep in flavor and ready in under 45 minutes so when the hankering strikes, you can have it for dinner. This Quick Chili Recipe delivers on flavor thanks to a few workhorse ingredients like fire roasted tomatoes, canned green chiles, chile powder, and roasted red peppers.

Ingredients for Quick Chili

This quick chili recipe is part of our Soup-er Simple Series which means it’s quick-cooking but tastes like it’s cooked all day. In order to be apart of the series, the soup needs to have 10 ingredients or less, ready in under 45 minutes and taste like it took hours. Here are the key ingredients to building flavor fast in this easy chili.

• Olive oil, salt, sugar: each of these ingredients we don’t “count” towards the 10 ingredients since they are pantry staples.
• Onion: a large yellow onion builds the foundation of flavor for this soup. One large onion will yield 2 to 2 ½ cups diced onion. You can also use white onion.
• Garlic: another important aromatic for building flavor! Use 4 large cloves of fresh garlic.
• Ground beef: we like to use lean ground beef here—94% lean ground beef creates a meaty but not greasy chili. For more flavorful bites of beef, feel free to use 85% lean ground beef. Just keep in mind the chili itself may be a bit greasy.
• Chili powder: you’ll need quite a bit of chili powder here, ¼ cup to be exact. It may seem like a lot, but since we aren’t using dried chiles and simmering this soup for hours, you need to use a good amount of chili powder.
  However, all chili powders are different and can vary in spice level and saltiness, start with 2 tablespoons and adjust as needed (taste test the meat and add more to your liking—keep in mind a lot of other ingredients will be added so the beef should taste almost over-spiced).This is the chili powder I use.
• Dried oregano: a heaping tablespoon of dried oregano adds a nice savory note to the chili. You can use regular oregano, or even better, Mexican oregano. Marjoram is also a great substitute.
• Canned fire roasted tomatoes: a couple cans of fired roasted tomatoes, instead or regular diced tomatoes, really kicks up the flavor. You’ll need 2 (14-ounce) cans or 1 (28-ounce) can.
• Jarred roasted red peppers: another great ingredient shortcut. We like to buy a 12-ounce jar of whole roasted red peppers and dice them ourselves (offers more control) but you can also buy diced roasted red pepper. The little bits of roasted red pepper adds smokiness and slight sweetness to each bite.
• Canned green chiles: these tiny cans of green chiles pack a punch of flavor and heat. If you like a spicy chili, go ahead and use two cans. If you prefer a more mild chili, leave them out altogether or use 1 can.
• Beef broth or Better than Bouillon beef: I’m a huge fan of keeping Better than Bouillon on hand at all times. I always have the roasted chicken in my fridge and I’ve started to keep the beef variety as well. You’ll get countless quarts of broth from one small jar, which means your ingredient list just got shorter for a few months.
• Canned kidney beans: kidney beans are a classic chili ingredient, at least where I come from. Feel free to use black beans instead.

How to Make Chili Fast

Aside from using flavor-packed ingredients, the key is to build flavor on top of flavor—starting with the onions, then the beef, followed by the spices and the broth ingredients.

1. Saute the onions in olive oil with a bit of salt (it’s important to season at every step!).



2. Add the beef and garlic; season with salt and cook, crushing with a wooden spoon, until nearly cooked through. You want the beef to still be slightly pink.



3. Stir in the chili powder, oregano and sugar and cook for a couple minutes just to bloom the spices.



4. Add the tomatoes, broth, roasted red peppers, and green chiles. Bring the chili to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmre and cook 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the beans, bring back to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.
6. Season to taste with salt then serve with your desired toppings (we like shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro and crushed tortilla chips).

Quick Chili Toppings

When it comes to chili bar ideas, where do you stop? Because the topping options are endless!

For this easy chili recipe we like to keep the toppings simple:

• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream or whole milk Greek yogurt
• Fresh cilantro
• Crushed tortilla chips

Avocado, green onions and charred corn are also great toppings for this quick chili recipe.

What to Serve with Chili

Easy Guacamole is always a hit with spicy chili. The creamy avocado cools off the spice and bulks up the meal.

Serve up this Mexican Coleslaw for something fresh and crunchy,

Cornbread is a favorite side dish—try our Healthy Cornbread or for a gluten-free option our Gluten-Free Cornbread.

Variations & Substitutions

• Vegetarian: skip the beef and use vegetarian meat crumbles or bulk up the chili with additional vegetables such as carrots and fresh bell peppers.
• Turkey: swap the beef out for ground turkey. If you opt for lean ground turkey, don’t go any leaner than 93%.
• Mild: for a mild, less-spicy chili, skip the canned green chiles altogether. Add 1 diced green bell pepper for flavor and color.
• Smoky and spicy: for a smoky chili, swap the canned green chiles out in favor of some minced chipotles in adobo. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more as desired.
• Black beans: swap the red kidney beans out for canned black beans.

How to Freeze Chili

According to the USDA, quick beef chili will last in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

For longer storage, transfer quick chili to zipper-lock freezer bags and freeze for up to 4 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop.

FAQs

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