This easy beanless chili takes very little prep yet turns out an amazingly delicious chili. Three kinds of chili powder is the secret to its deep, rich flavor!
This "no beans allowed" chili recipe just might be my favorite chili to date. Loads of beef (a whopping four pounds!) in a flavorful sauce chock full of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, onions and poblano peppers. Less than ten ingredients but it packs a flavor punch!
Chili always makes me think of my Dad (it's his favorite food). I love chili, too, but I can be particular about it. My chili has to have a lot of meat and although I do like beans in my chili, I prefer beanless chili with loads of tomatoey goodness, and when fall first arrives and I'm craving those flavors, I like to make a batch of turkey lentil chili with butternut squash.
My beanless chili recipe is based on a Midwestern-style chili, which makes sense since that's where I was born and raised. But I've added three different chili powders which gives it such a wonderful flavor. To make up for the lack of beans, I increased the amount of beef and it is SO good!
To serve this beanless chili, you'll want to have some warm buttermilk cornbread or make a batch of sweet corn cake. The sweet bread is such a nice contrast to the flavorful chili, and I like to spoon some of the corn cake right on top of the chili.
What You'll Need
There really aren't many ingredients for this easy chili recipe, but each one was selected for good reason. You'll love how much flavor it has with so few ingredients!
- Ground beef: Four pounds might seem like a lot, but it's a perfect amount for a hearty bowl of chili! Any ground beef blend can be used but I prefer 85/15 (15% fat). Ground chicken or turkey can also be substituted, if you prefer, but I would suggest ground dark meat. Ground turkey or chicken is not quite the same as ground beef but it's still delicious.
- Sweet onion: Chop a large one, it adds a lot of flavor.
- Poblano peppers: I'm personally not a huge fan of green bell peppers, but I adore poblanos, and they're perfect in chili. You could easily substitute these with green, red, orange, or yellow bell peppers (or add a chopped bell pepper in addition to the poblanos).
- Chili powder: We're making chili, so a hefty dose of chili powder is what gives it that chili flavor.
- Chipotle chili powder: This adds a subtle smokiness that is soooo good in chili.
- Ancho chili powder: This pairs well with the poblano peppers and a third chili powder gives a nice depth of flavor.
- Cumin: A little more smokiness and goes well with the three chili powders.
- Tomato sauce: Use your favorite brand or check out this list of the best brands.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: Regular will work if you can't find fire-roasted.
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper: Season, season, season your chili!! Start with a teaspoon and add more to taste.
Instructions
It really couldn't be simpler to make this easy beanless chili. Here are the steps to make it:
- As I always preach: mise en place is always first, no matter the recipe (it really does make things so much easier)! So gather all of your ingredients before you even think about turning on the stove. Then chop your onion and peppers, open the cans (set them aside so you don't accidentally knock them over when you're cooking), and basically get the prep completely done before you start.
- First, you'll cook the ground beef in a large pot or dutch oven until almost no pink remains. Drain off most of the fat (all but about a tablespoon), then add the onions and poblano peppers. Cook those for a few minutes just to soften them up. Add all the spices, cook another two minutes or so, stirring frequently. (Note: adding your spices when you're sauteeing the aromatics helps to bring out their flavor, especially if your spices have been sitting in the pantry for too long.)
- Add the tomato sauce and the diced tomatoes, stirring it well. Bring it to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, mostly covered with just a small amount of space for heat to escape, for at least another hour (and up to two or three if you've got the time). SEASON TO TASTE (be sure to add enough salt until the flavors really pop)!
- Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, diced poblano and/or jalapenos, chopped green onion and anything else you prefer!
Note: You can easily make this in the slow cooker! Follow the recipe through step 1, then transfer everything to a crockpot and cook it on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
Tips
- Give the chili lots of time to simmer so the flavors have time to develop. It's also one of those recipes that's even better the next day, so it's a great make-ahead recipe.
- Brown the meat well! I always think of the late Anne Burrell whenever I preach this point, and I quote: "Brown food tastes good". And it's true: browning your food (meats especially), adds another layer of flavor to any recipe.
- Toast the spices: Give the spices a good minute few minutes in the hot pan before adding the liquids. Any small step you can take to bring even more flavor to your dish adds up!
- Make it your own: This is a no-bean chili, but you could certainly add some if you prefer. Black beans would be great but kidney are more traditionally used in chili. A can of drained corn would be delicious, too!
- Adjust the heat level: This is a pretty mild chili, but you could add a chopped chipotle pepper from a can of adobo sauce, then add more of the adobo sauce as you go if you decide you'd like it to have even more heat. A minced jalapeño or two would also be delicious (add it with the onions), or just serve a small dish of them at the table.
Related
Looking for more hearty soup or stew recipes? Try these:
Thick and Beefy Beanless Chili
This is a fairly mild chili. Feel free to add jalapenos along with the onions and poblanos, some hot sauce or some chopped chipotles in adobo sauce. All would be delicious and add some good, hot spice!
Ingredients
- 4 pounds ground beef
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 2 medium poblano peppers, chopped
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 14-ounce cans tomato sauce
- 3 14-ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, do not drain
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper (season it well!)
Instructions
Stovetop Chili
- In a large pot or dutch oven, cook the ground beef over medium heat until almost no pink remains. Drain off all but about a tablespoon of the fat. Add the chopped onions and poblano peppers and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the spices and cook another two minutes or so, stirring often.
- Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, stirring it well. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer it mostly covered with just a small amount of space for heat to escape, for at least another hour (and up to two or three if you've got the time). SEASON TO TASTE (be sure to add enough salt until the flavors really pop)!
- Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, diced poblano and/or jalapenos, chopped green onion and anything else you prefer!
Notes
Ground turkey or chicken can be substituted, if you prefer.
To make this in a crockpot, follow the recipe through step 1, then transfer everything to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or for 4-6 hours on high.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 556Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 826mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 5gSugar: 8gProtein: 52g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
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karrieMae says
Dumb question here, but I'm on a weightloss journey and tracking calories. The whole pot is 8 servings, what is considered a serving? A cup? I know probably a dumb question but I'm trying to track. I ABSOLUTELY loved the recipe! It was great!
Kristy Bernardo says
Not a dumb question at all! A serving is two cups, which is enough for a decent-sized and filling bowl. I'm so happy you love it!
Natalie says
I just made this chili, and it will be my go-to recipe for chili from now on. Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe!
Steve says
I just made this and it’s still simmering but wow it’s so good for how simple it is. My wife doesn’t do beans or much spice so this is a perfect base chili. I think next time I might add some allepo chili powder or maybe some jalapeño but man this is an awesome base chili recipe to explore from. Gonna have it with cornbread tonight but it’ll be awesome on rice or a baked potato.
Karen says
I made this recipe tonight and it is delicious! I used ground venison as the meat.
Erin says
Just found this recipe!! I’m allergic to beans but LOVE chili with a passion. We’re a big fan of ground pork in this household so subbed that for the beef and added chopped celery and orange bell peppers (cause I love the crunch). So so good. Can’t wait to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!
Linda says
Where can I see the 151 4.5 star reviews?
Kristy Bernardo says
They're all in the comments. You can leave a review after rating and that's where it shows up.
Maxine Smith says
I have made this several times and we love it! We like spicy food so I took your suggestion and added jalapeno peppers and all I can say is YUM!
Alex says
Hi there! I love this recipe! Do you think it would be okay if I throw it in the crockpot?!
Kristy Bernardo says
Hey Alex! I think it would definitely be okay. I've even made it in my Instant Pot and it turned out really well.
Maxine Smith says
I have never made chili before and am not really a big fan of it but i was craving it so I tried this recipe. I followed it exactly except my chili powders and cumin might have been a little heaping ;). It was amazing! I had two bowls of it and I am trying really hard not to eat it for breakfast. Amazing recipe
Kristy Bernardo says
Maxine, thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! I'm so happy you love it so much. It's definitely my favorite chili recipe (although I do love chili. Have a great day!
Maxine Smith says
@Kristy Bernardo, I already made it again!!
Kristy Bernardo says
haha, that's awesome! I'm so glad you love it so much! 🙂
Meryl says
Hi Kristy! This recipe looks delicious!
For clarification, do you add the salt and paper when you start the simmer or after 1-3 hours?
Kristy Bernardo says
Hi Meryl! I'd add it at the end. Although it probably wouldn't make much of a difference, since some of the liquid does evaporate, it could end up over-seasoned if you add it too early. Let me know how you like it! - Kristy
Cindy Hale says
Made this for Halloween - delicious! I swapped one pound of ground beef for a pound of hot sausage to add some spice; followed the recipe exactly otherwise. So much flavor - didn’t even miss the beans! Love the little touch of chipotle pepper. This one’s going into the rotation! Thank you!
Kristy says
Oooohhh - love the idea of swapping some sausage in! I'm going to try that myself. Thanks, Cindy! You've reminded me that I need to make this again soon 🙂
Shoshi says
Ancho chili powder and chipotle chili powder? Can I sub anything?
Kristy says
You could use regular chili powder for both, although the flavor won't be quite the same.
Rachel @ Queen Of Constance says
I think I just found what I’m making for dinner…. Yum!
Anna Casarez says
My first time making chili because my husband after 15 years of marriage stated he loved chili. Who knew! Haha! However, he doesn't like cornbread (I know, he's a maybe a little crazy). He thinks cornbread is too dry. Anyway, im gonna serve this over some jasmine rice and maybe next time over a baked potato. It's currently simmering and I will let it simmer for 3 hours. But the flavors are bomb already. I can't even imagine when it has gone the whole 3 hours!
Kristy says
ahh, love this! I hope you loved it! Cheers - Kristy
Jonathan says
@Anna Casarez, I agree with your husband! I'm not a fan of cornbread myself because, like your husband said, it's dry. Lol
Linda Lazarus says
We are a family of 3... and neither child will eat what the other wants... He loves chili and always wants me to make it, she doesn't like beans or chili. I made it anyway... we're a "fluffy" family, as my son likes to say, so I try to make things healthier. Instead of using the 4 lbs of hamburger meat, I used 2 and 2 lbs. of ground lean chicken (turkey works too!). I followed the rest of the recipe and took a big bowl out for my chick before adding the spices. Then spiced it up. She's NEVER liked chili before, but she LOVED this! she wanted to try it after I spiced it, but I knew it would be too spicy for her, so I took a 2nd bowl and put half of the spiced chili and have of the unspiced that I'd previously taken out for her and she LOVED it! I've never seen her finish a whole dinner before, but she did! I made this with Jasmin Rice and served the chili over it with Shredded Taco Cheese (and added sour cream to mine) and warm corn muffins on the side completed our dinner... I found this recipe last night and at dinner tonight, we decided the leftovers would be used for chili dogs and another meal of chili cheese fries! This was bookmarked and put in the family recipe book! Thank you so much for this great recipe~
Kristy says
Hi Linda! I love this! It can be so hard to please everyone with dinner and I'm so happy this recipe did the trick for you. Thank you so much for letting me know! Cheers - Kristy
Chanel says
Hi Kristy! Im cooking this recipe today, my husband is not a fan of beans so this is perfect! Question, how many does this recipe serve? Im looking to make a decenf amount of leftovers for the week for us as well! Thank you!!
Kristy Bernardo says
Hi Chanel! It will serve a family of four plus leftovers, so if it's just you and your husband, you should be fine. Having said that, you can always double it and freeze some if it's too much. Hope that helps! Cheers 🙂
Kimberly Ann @ Bake Love Give says
Whoah that's a lot of beef! Though the Texan in me is certainly not complaining! Will add this to our chilly evening dinner rotation (pun intended).
Kristy Bernardo says
Yes, it really is a lot! It makes it very thick and meaty...would be great over spagehetti since it's so thick. Thanks Kimberly Ann!
Nutmeg Nanny says
If my husband didn't love beans in his chili I would happily leave them out and bulk up on the beef. This version looks great. I need to make this!
Kristy Bernardo says
I hear you...a lot of people are die-hard beans-in-their-chili fans! I like them, too, but sometimes going without is a nice change. Have a great day, NN!
Brandy M. says
My husband hates beans so I can never get him to eat chili. This is right up his alley and would be perfect on a baked potato.
Kristy Bernardo says
Ohhh...you're right, this WOULD be perfect on a baked potato! Great suggestion, Brandy, thanks!
heather @french press says
Beans are fine, but I think chili should always be about the meat! This may just have to be added to our Sunday menu!
Kristy Bernardo says
I agree - the meat is where it's at!
Marjory+@+Dinner-Mom says
Well...I had to pin this right away! My hubby would be in heaven for an all beef chili. We usually compromise and have beef and beans...I'm gonna surprise him with this one! Sounds yummy!
Kristy Bernardo says
awww, that's so sweet to do for your hubby, Marjory!
Heather at Basilmomma says
This is perfect for my non-bean eating son!
Kristy Bernardo says
That's great, Heather!