Homemade chili full of fresh peppers ground meat, spices and of course bacon. Simmers for hours bringing out all the flavors. Use the bacon grease to make a side of cast iron skillet corn bread for a pure comfort meal.
The weather has definitely taken a turn in Western Washington, dipping into almost the 30’s at night. One of my favorite things when we switch from the heat of summer to cooler, rainy days is making all the soups, stews and chilis that we can. This recipe is a favorite in our house. Its quick to put together, simmers for a few hours and is the pure comfort food we need on those colder days.
Remove some of the bacon fat once its cooked and put together a batch of Cast Iron Skillet Corn bread. The two were made to go together.
I have teamed up with five other bloggers to bring you all our favorite ways to make chili. Scroll to see what we are cooking up and save for that rainy, cozy day.
Here are a few things about this Homemade Chili recipe.
1. Start with bacon!
I start with bacon for two very important reasons. One, everything is better with bacon, and two you can use the grease in your cast iron skillet to give your corn bread the most amazing crispy crust!
2. Ground Meat
Our family uses wild game for all our ground meat but you can use any kind you prefer. Ground beef or turkey would both be good choices. Our family uses wild game for all our ground meat but you can use any kind you prefer. Ground beef or turkey would both be good choices.
3. Rotel Tomatoes
Rotel diced tomatoes are the goto in our family. Any other type of diced tomatoes I try, we end up with little bowls full of tomatoes from my picky eaters. My family just seems to like Rotel the best.
4. Smoked Paprika
Regular paprika is a great substitute but use smoked paprika to add just a hit of something extra.
5. A Long Simmer
A long simmer. I like to simmer it no less than an hour but if you can, try to make it two. It just enhances the flavors and let’s not forget how amazing a house smells when soup as been simmering all evening.
Let’s get cooking!
Step 1:
First, dice and cook the bacon until crispy.
Step 2:
Next, drain the grease (set aside if your making cornbread) leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and onions and cook until soft and translucent.
Step 3:
Add in ground meat and green peppers and cook until the meat is browned and peppers are soft. Season this mixture with some salt as it cooks.
Step 4:
Add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water and all the spices. Stir to combine and add more water to your desired consistency.
Step 5:
Drain and rinse your beans and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1-2 hours.
Finally, finish it off with all your favorite toppings such as shredded cheese, green onions and sour cream. This make enough to feed my family of 4 and have enough for lunch the next day. A great way to use up left overs is cook up some potatoes the and top with the leftover chili.
Make a side of corn bread as well. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet no worries you can make the same recipe in a greased 8×8 cake pan.
Favorite Winter Comfort Dishes
Loaded Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Homemade Chili
Ingredients
- 10-12 Strips of Thick Cut Bacon
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Large Yellow Onion Diced
- 2 Green Bell Peppers
- 1.5 lbs Ground Meat
- 3 Cloves Garlic minced
- 2 10oz Cans of Rotel Tomatoes
- 1 15oz Can of Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1/2 Cup Water. More or less depending on your desired consistency
- 2 15oz Cans of Black Beans
Toppings
- Shredded Cheese
- Diced Green Onion
- Sour Cream
- Bacon
Instructions
- Dice and cook bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until crispy
- Remove from pot and drain grease leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and onions and cook until soft and translucent.
- Add in ground meat and green peppers and cook until meat is browned and peppers are soft.
- Drain all excess liquid and add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water and all the spices and mix until well combined.
- Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the pot. If you like your chili more soupy you can add more water at this time. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer on low for 1-2 hours. Make sure to check it every 20 min or so and give it a stir to make sure its not burning on the bottom. About 5 min before serving add half the bacon back in and save the remaining for a topping.
- Serve warm with your favorite toppings and a side of corn bread.
Video
Chili Cook Off!
I have teamed up with five other bloggers to bring you all the versions of chili you will ever need this fall and winter. Click on the photo or link below to save these great recipes.
BBQ Cowboy Chili from Tjoelker Family Farm
Fall Garbanzo Bean Chili From Azure Farm
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili From Justine Marie
Pumpkin Chili with Lamb From The Duvall Homestead
Healthy White Chicken Chili From The Harris Homestead
Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
- How to Grow Onions and Everything you Need to Know
- Sourdough Starter Breakfast Bites
- Dutch Oven Potatoes
Learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter with my Tutorials Here:
Ally
What a perfect classic chili recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Hannah
All these chili recipes sound so good! And cooking the corn bread in bacon grease would be amazing!! You had me at the words ‘bacon grease’, lol.😆
Michelle
I LOVE chili this time of year. Nothing beats a classic chili! This looks delicious!!
Megan
Chili is my favorite fall meal! This recipe looks amazing, thank you for sharing!