Aunt Betty’s Comfort Kitchen · Beef

Chili

An honest, mild beef-and-bean chili built straight from the pantry — brown, season, and let it simmer low until it thickens. Like all good chili, it's even better the next day.

~1 hr total 10 min prep 45 min simmer

Effort ●○○○ Time ●●○○ Anytime

Gluten-Free

Servingsamounts scale to match

Units

Ingredients

Pour off the grease, then give it the full simmer. Once the beef is browned, tip out the rendered fat so the chili isn't greasy. Then keep it at a low, lazy simmer — not a hard boil — for the whole 45 minutes; that's what thickens it and cooks the raw edge off the chili powder. Taste and adjust the salt at the end.

Easier, if you like

Jarred chopped garlic and pre-diced onion (fresh or frozen) make it a true dump-and-simmer.
A packet of chili seasoning can stand in for the chili powder, paprika, and salt — Betty's blend is just the from-scratch version.

Method

Cook's notes

Two tablespoons of chili powder makes a mild, family-friendly chili. Add more — or a pinch of cayenne, or a chopped jalapeño — if you want heat.

For deeper flavor, let the chili powder and paprika cook in the hot fat for a minute before the tomatoes go in — "blooming" the spices. Optional, but a real upgrade.

It's better the next day, once the flavors settle. Chili keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well.

Serve over rice as Betty did, or with cornbread, or topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped onion.

Make it vegetarian or vegan (it's already gluten-free)

Vegetarian / vegan: skip the beef, brown the onion alone in the oil, and add a second can of beans (black or pinto) or a 12-oz bag of plant-based crumbles. The chili powder carries the flavor.

Gluten-free: it already is — beef, beans, tomatoes, and spices are naturally gluten-free. Just check your chili powder blend has no added flour (most don't).