This super Easy Homemade Chili Beans recipe is packed with flavor and made even better by being a one pot wonder. Flavorful beef and ground sausage with tender beans in a spiced up gravy is perfect for cold winter nights and summer barbecues alike.
Homemade Chili Beans are one of my family's favorite meals. This recipe in particular is my lazy cooking fantasy. Ground meat cooks up so fast, and opening cans take all of the guesswork and time out of getting perfectly softened beans.
I have done this in larger batches and soaked the beans, and the money savings just isn’t worth it to me. If you happen to already have the dry beans or you really like to start from scratch I have included a full proof way to quickly soften pinto beans below.
I almost always serve this the first night as a main dish topped with fresh chopped onions, sour cream, cheddar cheese and a side of corn muffins. After that, all bets are off.
This is a great side dish with tri tip or an amazing topping for nachos or hot dogs. Don’t forget those Frito Boats. This recipe makes such a big pot of chili that you can reinvent and enjoy it all week long.
Serve these delicious beans alongside some Chimichurri Flank Steak and Grilled Mexican Street Corn.
Make this recipe, because…
It's a great recipe that tastes like something that cooked for days made up in a much shorter time.
Easy canned ingredients add great flavor while saving tons of time and money.
This recipe is large and is great for leftovers or large cookouts. The leftovers actually get better every day.
Ingredients
Canned Beans- Using beans that are ready to eat is a great way to save time. There is no need to drain or rinse away the starchy water the pinto and kidney beans are sitting in. The extra starch will help thicken the gravy of the chili making it deliciously thick.
Stewed Tomato- These add loads of flavor and great texture overall. Again, using a canned item is just a huge time saver.
Prepared Salsa- This again is a great shortcut and adds spice and flavor that would otherwise be difficult to get from scratch.
Sausage- Adding full flavored sausage instead of just ground pork serves two purposes. The first is that mixing pork with the beef makes for a richer, fuller flavored chili. The second is that sausage has great spices that you may not have on hand and can be expensive to buy and store. A seasoned sausage can also add just the right amount of heat as you can choose a spice level from mild-spicy.
Instructions
Step 1
- Heat a large sauce pot on medium high.
- Add ground beef and sausage to the pot. Add ½ cup water and brown meat using a large spoon to break up the meat.
If you used sausage that is in link form, simply cut the casing away and add only the meat to the pot.
Step 2
- Add minced garlic and diced yellow and red onions along with all of the dried spices to mostly browned meat.
Step 3
- Cook until the onions are translucent and meat is well cooked and broken up into very small pieces.
Step 4
- Next, add all of your canned pinto and kidney beans with the liquid. Add stewed tomatoes, crushing them in your hand as you add them. Add salsa picante, and butter.
- Stir everything together and bring to a simmer. Let simmer on low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes.
That's It! It really doesn't get any easier!
FAQs
Pinto beans are the best for the bulk of chili beans. They are hearty and starchy and absorb all of the great chili flavor.
Adding a small amount of Kidney beans is great for texture. Unlike the pinto beans, kidney beans actually flavor rather than absorb it and they have a great sweet taste that goes well with a slightly spicy pot of chili.
Yes! You absolutely can use dried beans, however, the beans must be softened before adding to the chili. Dry beans will not soften properly added directly to the pot meat and sauce.
Start by cleaning the beans. Remove any damaged pinto beans and rinse your beans to make sure they are free of any rocks or dirt.
Next, pour them into a pot and cover with water. Make sure there is plenty of water by adding 3 cups of water for every cup of dried pinto beans. Boil them first for 1 hour. Then, drain through a colander and rinse again.
Return them to your pot and cover with water and boil for 45 minutes. Again the ratio of beans to water should be around 3 cups of water for every cup of beans. They should be soft after the second boil.
Don’t throw away the bean water the second time as it contains good starch that will help make a nice thick gravy for your chili.
The great thing about a big pot of chili beans is all of the leftovers. To store them properly, transfer the beans to smaller containers and keep them in the refrigerator.
The beans will keep for 4-6 days in the fridge.
The best way to reheat leftover chili is to put the amount you would like to eat in a small pot. The gravy will have thickened with the starch from the beans. Add ¼ cup of water to every 2 cups of chili being reheated. The water will thin out the gravy just a little and help you reheat without burning.
Expert Tips
Add a splash of water to browning meat to help make it easier to break up and keep it from sticking to the pan.
Keep the heat low when simmering the chili beans and remember to check on them every half hour or so. Give them a stir to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot and burns.
Try these awesome one pot wonder recipes!
- Slow Cooker Pork Ragu
- 15-Minute Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce
- Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowls
- Sausage Green Bean and Potato Skillet
- Tender Pork Chili Verde
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Easy Homemade Chili Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef 80/20
- ½ lb Italian Sausage medium or spicy
- ½ Cup Water
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- ½ Red Onion diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ Cup Butter one stick
- 2 23 oz Cans Pinto Beans in Water
- 14 oz Can Kidney Beans
- 14 oz Can Stewed Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Salsa Picante medium
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Onion
- 1 Tablespoon Dry Parsley
- 1 Tablespoon Red Chili Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder optional
- ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Chili Powder optional
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin
Instructions
- Heat a large sauce pot on medium high.
- Add ground beef and sausage to the pot. If you used sausage that is in link form, simply cut the casing away and add only the meat to the pot. Add ½ cup water and brown meat using a large spoon to break up the meat.
- Chop garlic and onions into a fine dice and add to mostly browned meat.
- Season with all of your dry spices, and cook until the onions are translucent and meat is well cooked and broken up into very small pieces.
- Next, add all of your canned pinto and kidney beans with the liquid. Add stewed tomatoes, crushing them in your hand as you add them. Add salsa picante, and butter.
- Stir everything together and bring to a simmer. Let cook for at least 1 hour 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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Dannii
This is one of my favourite comfort foods. This looks delicious.
Emily
This looks packed with flavour and so comforting, can't wait to try it!
Romina
Chilli con carne is one of our favourite comfort foods. Looks absolutely delicious and cannot wait to try your recipe!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
This looks wonderful. You can't beat chili con carne especially at this time of year.
stephanie
This is definitely a great comfort food. Was absolutely delicious...will be making it again.