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This Easy Dutch Oven Chili is packed with flavor & just a touch of heat. It only takes 15 minutes to prep and builds flavor in the dutch oven as it simmers.
This chili recipe is perfect for so many events. I serve it all the time in the colder months when I'm expecting a crowd. It is the perfect Super Bowl food to make a few hours ahead and guests can serve themselves and choose their own toppings.
Does anyone else feel like chili and cornbread are married and must be made together? This little mama right here does! I like to load sour cream and crumbled cornbread into my chili. It's kind of naughty, but I don't even care.
My corn muffins are a must try recipe, so be sure to check them out! You can prep them ahead of time too, so it's no rush when company arrives.
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The Ingredients:
Bell Pepper, Sweet Onion, and Garlic: Must have flavor building vegetables for chili
Ground Beef & Ground Pork Mixture: We use a 2:1 ratio of ground beef to ground pork for the ultimate tenderness. I use this combination in meatballs frequently. It really makes a fabulous improvement in texture opposed to using only ground beef.
Olive Oil, Tomato Sauce, Tomato Paste, and Chicken Stock: For the base of the soup. Make sure to use chicken stock rather than chicken broth. Stock creates a heartier version and I always choose chicken stock for soups and stews.
Fire Roasted Tomatoes: For a nice smoky kick
Kidney Beans: Hearty, thick beans that soak in the flavor of soup
Cumin, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, Bay Leaf, Salt: The perfect seasonings for a flavor filled chili
Sour Cream, Cornbread, Jalapeño, Cilantro, Cheddar Cheese, & Hot Sauce: My favorite toppings for chili.
How to Make Easy Dutch Oven Chili:
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- Place the dutch oven on the stovetop over a little less than medium heat. Pour in the olive oil and allow it to heat up for a minute.
2. Next, add the ground beef and pork, and with a wooden spoon begin to break up a bit. Allow this to cook for about 8 minutes until no longer pink.
3. Transfer the meat into a bowl and drain most of the grease from dutch oven, except for about 1 tablespoon.
4. We have an empty pot again, except for a tiny bit of grease. Add the bell pepper, onions and salt into the dutch oven. Stir together and allow vegetable to soften for about 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Add the ground pork and beef mixture back into the dutch oven. Then, the garlic, spices and bay leaf. Stir and allow to cook for one minute.
6. Pour in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, drained kidney beans, and fire roasted tomatoes.
7. Lastly, pour in the chicken stock, and give it a good stir.
Allow the chili to come to a low boil over medium heat, then turn the heat down to low. Cover with the lid and cook for at least two hours, stirring every hour.
My favorite toppings for chili are cornbread, of course. I also love to top with jalapeños, cilantro, cheddar cheese and a small dollop of sour cream.
Recipe FAQs:
It's all about the seasonings and the fire roasted tomatoes. This chili has fire roasted flavor and hints of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder.
The longer the chili simmers in the dutch oven, the more the flavors build. I like to cook my chili for a minimum of 2 hours to really capitalize on flavor.
If you don't care for kidney beans, you could use canned black beans, garbanzo, or cannellini beans. Make sure to rinse and drain them. If you don't like beans, just leave them out and use a little less on the chicken stock.
Sure thing, just follow steps 1 through 4 and throw everything into the crockpot and slow cook for 6 hours on low or medium mode. Stirring every few hours.
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Recipe
Easy Dutch Oven Chili
- Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This Easy Dutch Oven Chili is packed with flavor & just a touch of heat. It only takes 15 minutes to prep and will build flavor in the dutch oven as it simmers.
Ingredients
- 1 green bell pepper, diced medium
- 1 small yellow onion, diced medium
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 16 ounce ground beef (80/20 tastes best in chili)
- 8 ounces of ground pork (I only used half of the package shown in the photo)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 34-48 ounces of chicken stock (If you like it thicker, start with 34 ounces. If you want more of a soup like mines, 48 ounces. It will thicken as it simmers)
- 15 ounce can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 14 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes, I used the full can with juices
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
Instructions
- Place the dutch oven on the stovetop over a little less than medium heat. Pour in the olive oil and allow it to heat up for a minute.
- Next, add the beef and pork, and with a wooden spoon begin to break up a bit. Allow this to cook for about 8 minutes until no longer pink.
- Transfer the meat into a bowl and drain all the grease from dutch oven, except for about 1 tablespoon.
- To the empty dutch oven (except for a touch of grease)- add in the bell pepper, onions and salt. Stir together and allow vegetable to soften for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the ground pork and beef mixture. Then, the minced garlic, spices and bay leaf. Stir and allow to cook for one minute.
- Pour in tomato sauce, tomato paste, drained kidney beans, and fire roasted tomatoes. Stir it up!
- Last but not least, pour in the chicken stock, and give it a good stir.
- Allow the chili to come to a low boil over medium heat, then turn heat down to low. Cover with the lid and cook for at least two hours, stirring every hour.
Notes
My favorite toppings for chili are cornbread, of course. I also love to top with jalapeños, cheddar cheese and a small dollop of sour cream.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chili, easy chili, homemade chili, fall soups, fall recipes
Robert Smithson
This was delicious!
★★★★★