LovaCook
Main Dishes

Classic Beef Chili with Beans

Rich, smoky, deeply savoury — a chili that rewards a slow simmer. Even better on day two.

By LovaCook Editorial Team

Prep: 15 minCook: 1 hrTotal: 1 hr 15 minYield: 6 servingsDifficulty: Easy
Bowl of thick beef chili with beans, peppers and tomato, topped with sour cream and diced onion

Chili is one of those recipes where every family has strong opinions. This version is beefy and smoky from properly toasted spices, deepened with a spoon of cocoa, and built around beans for good measure.

It sits on the stove happily for an hour and only gets better. Fans of cozy one-pot suppers will find the slow cooker beef stew lives in the same universe.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 700g (1½ lb) ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
  • 1 can (400g) kidney beans, drained
  • 1 can (400g) black beans, drained
  • 1½ cups (360ml) beef stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • Sour cream, grated cheese, coriander and lime to serve

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and pepper for 6 minutes until softened.
  2. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
  3. Push the vegetables aside, turn the heat up, and brown the beef in the space — 6–8 minutes, breaking it up.
  4. Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and cocoa. Cook 1 minute until deeply fragrant.
  5. Add the tomatoes, both beans and stock. Bring to a simmer, reduce to low, and cook uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Season generously and serve with all the toppings.

Cooking tips

  • Toasting the spices with the tomato paste is the flavour-doubler here. Don't rush it.
  • For thicker chili, mash some of the beans against the pot with a spoon.
  • Freezes for 3 months in portions. Genuinely tastes better after a night in the fridge.

More like this

For more from this section, browse our main dishes recipes or the full collection.

You might also like

Bowl of beef stew with cubes of beef, carrots and potatoes in brown gravy, garnished with thyme sprigs on a wooden table
Main Dishes

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Tender chunks of beef, sweet root vegetables and a glossy red wine gravy. The kind of dinner your slow cooker was made for.

⏱ 380 min· 6 servings· Easy
Bowl of tagliatelle coated in rich beef bolognese sauce with Parmesan
Main Dishes

Slow-Simmered Beef Bolognese

Rich, slow-simmered beef bolognese with a soffritto base and a splash of milk for tenderness. The pasta sauce worth a whole afternoon.

⏱ 150 min· 6 servings· Medium
Bowl of thick, partly blended dark black bean soup with whole beans visible, a swirl of sour cream, cilantro leaves and a lime wedge
Quick & Easy

Speedy Black Bean Soup

Smoky, silky, twenty-minute black bean soup from three tins and a few pantry basics. An easy weeknight dinner built from store-cupboard tins.

⏱ 20 min· 4 servings· Easy
Finished twenty-minute chicken tacos served and photographed in natural daylight
Quick & Easy

Twenty-Minute Chicken Tacos

Spiced chicken thighs, crunchy slaw, lime crema, warm tortillas. Taco night, sorted in twenty minutes.

⏱ 20 min· 4 servings· Easy