Hearty Homemade Chili

Some people love fall for the sweater weather and pumpkin spice and colorful leaves. I’m definitely one of those people, but a warm hearty bowl of chili is definitely one of my fall favorites!

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Bring on the #fallvibes

There are so many things I love about living in the Midwest! One of the best, are the seasons. There’s a wholesome feeling about the start of a new season and all of the wonderful things that come with it. Fall kicks off with all the pumpkin spice, the temperature drops for sweater weather and fire pits, football is starting, the trees are turning vibrant colors and the scent of the season just hits different.

A whole new set of flavors rolls in with the fall weather. Pumpkin spice. Caramel. Apple. Maple. Another great thing to look forward to? Soups and stews!

A go-to chili recipe is a staple to take you from fall into winter. This recipe makes about one gallon of chili, or 8-10 servings if you’re serving up a large bowl.

Use your chili for topping chili cheese dogs, or fries, or chili mac! Serve it up with some Fritos or cornbread. Top it with some sour cream and green onions. Whip up a Cincinnati style five-way-chili (this is one of my favorite ways). There’s plenty of ways to enjoy your chili!

Netflix and Chill(i)

I make my chili in the same pot, start to finish. It’s less messy, and I only have one pot to clean. So, start the chili off by sautéing your onion and jalapeños over medium heat. I used 1 small yellow onion and 2 jalapeños with seeds removed; both finely diced.

Add 2 pounds of ground beef and season with salt and pepper.

Meat/Potato Mix & Mash

I have the Pampered Chef version of this and love it! Makes breaking up your ground beef super easy as it cooks.

Once your ground beef has browned, drain it. I prefer a turkey baster, but whatever your preferred method is, go with that. My husband would put it in a colander.

Pour about 2 cups of tomato/vegetable juice over your ground beef and add 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes and 2-3 packets of chili mix.

Add in the canned ingredients and stir. Top it off with some extra tomato/vegetable juice until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

I highly recommend using Mrs. Grimes beans if they’re available in your area.

Turn heat to low and cover to simmer for about an hour, stirring regularly.

Note: You can adjust to be more or less spicy, depending on your preferences. Add or reduce jalapeños and crushed red pepper flakes, or adjust chili mixes.