This easy and flavorful weeknight chili recipe uses just 8 ingredients and can be prepared on the stove top, or using your slow cooker or Instant Pot/pressure cooker. Let’s get cooking!
Hi friends! Is there anything better on a cold winter’s night than a warm bowl of chili? Or, during the big game? Or leftover for lunch when you forgot there was anything good in the fridge? I think not! So let’s make some!
This versatile chili recipe is hearty and comforting, and a real crowd-pleaser. You can prepare it in the slow cooker, on the stove top, or in the Instant Pot/pressure cooker. And, it’s a great weeknight meal because it requires minimal effort. I don’t know about you, but even though I enjoy cooking I’m usually so tired by the end of the day it’s pretty much the last thing I want to do. That’s where my easy to throw together (but still impressive) recipes like this come in handy. And, my blog is full of them! Check out some other recipes after you read this one!
How to Make Chili
My easy chili recipe is made using just 8 ingredients and takes about 30 minutes total. The shortcut is that I use my favorite chili seasoning packet instead of individual spices (I usually use McCormick). Since we have young children I’ll sometimes use one “original” packet and one “mild” packet so it’s not as spicy, otherwise I would use two “original” packets. I also have a function on my pressure cooker that allows me to brown my meat and veggies right in the appliance, making it a one pot dish.
Chili Toppings
My family loves to eat chili with a few choices of toppings, and the possibilities are endless. There’s something so great about those extra textures and I love a little dollop of something cold on my warm bowl. My “must have” toppings are sour cream, cheese, and green onion or chives but you could also do bacon, cilantro, jalapenos, avocado, etc. I also love to serve it with bread. You can use any crusty bread, Texas toast, or my favorite with chili: cornbread. Also, feel free to substitute or add more beans. Black beans are especially tasty in chili and soups.
How to Freeze Chili
Sometimes I forget how easy it is to freeze a lot of foods, but I’m really trying right now to stock my freezer with easy meals. Make up an extra batch of weeknight chili and just let it cool before adding to freezer bags with the extra air pushed out. I like to lay my frozen meals flat in the freezer so they take up as little room as possible. Then you can even stand them up once they’re frozen and shove them in between all sorts of things.
Storage
For leftovers, they can be stored in the refrigerator and eaten all week long. Just warm in the microwave and you’re good to go. I especially love leftover soups, stews, and chili because they taste even better the next day!
So there you have it! A quick and easy chili recipe that everyone will love. Oh, and did I mention affordable? This is such a great meal to have in regular rotation just for the price alone.
I hope you’ll love this weeknight chili recipe as much as we do. Let me know if you try it by tagging me on social media @allthekingsmorsels on Instagram and Facebook and use the hashtag #allthekingsmorsels.
Need more easy weeknight meals? Try out my fan-favorite Coconut Chicken Curry, or One Pan Cheesy Sausage and Brussels Sprouts.
PS – I would love it if you would sign up for my email list below. That way you’ll never miss another one of my time-saving recipes!
Weeknight Chili
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef (I like to use 80/20)
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 15 oz can light red kidney beans (with liquid)
- 15 oz can dark red kidney beans (with liquid)
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 1.25 oz packages chili seasoning (I prefer McCormick original but you could also use one original and one mild for less heat)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- optional toppings: sour cream, green onions, shredded cheese
Instructions
- Brown the beef: For stove top use a frying pan or a large pot big enough to hold all your chili, or use the saute feature (if available) on your slow cooker or Instant Pot/pressure cooker. Brown meat along with onion and green pepper, crumbling the beef as it cooks. Drain.
- Add meat mixture along with the rest of ingredients to large pot for stove top, slow cooker, or Instant Pot/pressure cooker. Stir well to combine everything.
- For stovetop: Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour.
- For slow cooker: Cook on high 2 hours or on low 4 hours.
- For Instant Pot/pressure cooker: Place lid on top and seal. Use manual mode with pressure set to high (or chili setting if you have that) and set timer for 20 minutes. When finished, release the pressure according to your appliance's directions.
- Add optional toppings and serve with bread, cornbread, texas toast, etc.
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