I’ve made a lot of chili in my life, and this one is my absolute favorite. It’s smokey, meaty, loaded with peppers and chili powder, and stewed long enough to break down the tomatoes for the perfect consistency. I have a secret ingredient that isn’t very common in chili, and I can’t wait for you to try it.
About The Best Bowl of Chili
I always jazzed up my chili with beans, veggies, sweet potatoes and simmered it in broth until a friend of mine shared a recipe with me. It was so simple. No broth. No water. No beans. Just a ton of tomatoes simmered down until they achieve the perfect consistency. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to make the perfect bowl of meaty, stewed chili.
All Beef There is a whopping three pounds of ground beef in this recipe. You will be glad you made this large of a batch because this chili is so good. The leftovers are sometimes even better than the first day you made it.
Onion & Garlic One onion and six cloves of garlic start off the recipe. If you don’t have an onion, add an additional tablespoon of onion powder along with the 2 teaspoons in the original recipe. If you don’t have garlic, you can add an additional 2 teaspoons garlic powder.
Bell Peppers & Jalapeño Two bell peppers and two jalapeños are in this recipe. They both add a great fresh pepper flavor. Make sure to remove the seeds from the jalapeño. Don’t like the heat? Swap jalapeño for green bell pepper one way or the other to adjust the heat. More jalapeño = more heat. Less jalapeño = less heat.
Spices Paprika, chili powder, cocoa, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper all come together for the perfect flavors. Use your favorite chili powder. I like using darker chili powder, or a good ancho chili powder for a rich, sweet and smokey flavor.
Cocoa Powder This is my secret ingredient. Don’t tell anyone! I highly recommend using it. It adds a sweet, rich flavor that compliments the smokey chili powder. Don’t worry, though….it will not make your chili taste like chocolate. Just trust me on this one.
Tomato Paste Tomato paste adds richness while thickening the chili. When I cook with tomato paste, I make sure to sauté it long enough that it starts to caramelize a little bit and get a richer color.
Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes I use the Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes for this recipe for an additional layer of flavor. I love Muir Glen Tomato Paste and Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, but use your go-to brand.
Toppings Our favorite chili toppings are cheese, red onion, pickled jalapeño, and either Fritos, tortilla chips, or honey cornbread depending on our mood. If you have an H-E-B nearby, their Texas Corn Chips are so good, I think I like them more than Fritos!
If you like this recipe, you should try our Meatloaf Recipe with a Brown Sugar Glaze.
Recipe
The Best Bowl of Chili
This is our favorite chili recipe. It is smokey, meaty, and a secret ingredient that makes you keep going to more.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oli
- 1 Onion, small diced
- 2 Bell Peppers, small diced
- 2 Jalapenos, seeded and small diced
- 6 Cloves of Garlic, minced
- 3 pounds Ground Beef (I like 90% lean)
- 2 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp. Onion Powder
- 2 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika
- 3 Tbsp. Chili Powder
- 2 tsp. Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 can of Tomato Paste
- 1 28 oz Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- Cheese, Red Onion, Pickled Jalapenos for Topping
Directions
- Step 1 In a large Dutch oven on medium heat, saute our onions, garlic, bell peppers and jalapenos in olive oil. Add the ground beef and saute until just cooked through. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, chili powder, cocoa and pepper and let saute for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Step 2 Add your tomato paste and let saute for a few minutes until carmelzied.
- Step 3 Add your large can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, stir, and let simmer for at least an hour until the tomatoes have broken down a little bit. Season to taste.
- Step 4 Serve with cheese, red onion, pickled jalapeño, and either Fritos, tortilla chips or corn bread. Enjoy.
About the Author
Lauren is a classically trained, professional chef. A culinary school graduate, she has spent time working organic farms in the Italian countryside and was the pastry/sous chef at a high profile restaurant in Dallas prior to becoming a full-time personal chef. Her cooking style is often referred to as “rustic.” Being a personal chef, she is not bound by a single type of cuisine and has had the opportunity to experiment with hundreds of regional recipes from all over the world.
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