Savory Beef Chili Recipes

By Southern Living
Hector Sanchez

One of the holy grails of Southern stews, beef chili has had a place across every Southern kitchen since the early twentieth century. Originating in Texas, classic beef chili is an irreplaceably hearty dinner that isn’t too hard to make. We’ve expanded upon and updated the classic Tex-Mex original with a few flavorful Southern additions. We’ve compiled our best chili recipes so it’s easy to make the comfort food classic any night of the week. Loaded with savory, simmering ground beef, these vegetable and beef chili recipes are the perfect dinnertime staple. With flavorful ingredients like fire-roasted tomatoes, chunks of tender steak, filling beans, unexpected black-eyed peas, and spicy jalapeno peppers, these mouthwatering beef chilis are some of our best yet. Whip up our quick and easy ground beef chili for a weeknight dinner in a flash, let a pot simmer all day in your slow cooker, or make a huge batch ahead for a crowd-pleasing supper. Top with cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, and avocados for a delicious bowl of classic Southern comfort food. 

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Beef-and-Bean Chili

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Beef-and-Bean Chili

This classic red chili has chunks of stew meat and ground beef along with tomatoes, red beans, and spices. Fire-roasted tomatoes add a note of smokiness to the mix. If you can't find fire-roasted, use plain tomatoes and add a pinch of smoked paprika.

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Quick Beef Chili

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Quick Beef Chili

This hearty chili has mouthwatering chunks of meat cooked to perfection in a Dutch oven before being combined with the other ingredients. For this chili we suggest rich, beefy petite tender—the quick-cooking foundation of this stew and a supermarket steak that is cut from the shoulder. It looks and tastes like tenderloin but costs a third of the price. Can't find it? Try chuck-eye steak, which has good flavor but may need a little more trimming. Whatever you choose, this quick chili, spicy, hot, and delicious, will have you filling your bowl for seconds. Smother it in green onions, sour cream, or many other great toppings.

 

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Pressure-Cooker Beef-and-Bean Chili

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Pressure-Cooker Beef-and-Bean Chili 

This comforting chili recipe comes together in under an hour. Use beef bones to up the flavor.

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Spicy-Slow Cooker Beef Chili

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Recipe: Spicy Slow-Cooker Beef Chili

Once the chilly weather sets in, we guarantee you'll be looking forward to this spicy dish after a long day at work.

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Beef-and-Black-Eyed Pea Chili

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Recipes: Beef-and-Black-Eyed Pea Chili

You’ll be pulling the cornbread fresh out of the skillet when you get the aroma of this Beef-and-Black-Eyed Pea Chili. Fill a Dutch oven with chili meat, sweet onion, black-eyed peas, beer, and more, and in under an hour you can be sitting down to a delicious bowl of chili. Serve it as it comes, or top it with jalapeño pepper slices, Cheddar cheese, or pico de gallo. However you enjoy it, you can’t go wrong. So grab a spoon and enjoy this chili today.

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Game Day Chili

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Game Day Chili

These meaty favorite is perfect for a football party. It freezes beautifully for a super quick meal another day.

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30-Minute Chili

Southern Living

Recipe: 30-Minute Chili

Having delicious chili doesn't mean having to wait all day. With this recipe for 30-Minute Chili you can enjoy one of our quick-fix suppers in no time. While you'll marvel at its slow-cooked flavor, this chili recipe only has six ingredients, so it is always going to be simple to make. The hardest part is simmering the ground beef; after that, you just pour everything else in, and stir. For an Italian-style take on this 30-Minute Chili, you can spice up the flavor and make this with 1 pound of ground sausage and 1 pound of ground beef. Whether you prefer a traditional chili or Italian-infused flavors, this easy-to-make chili will be ready when you are.

 

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Super Quick Chili

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Super Quick Chili 

This 7-ingredient chili recipe is ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. For a fun presentation, slice tops from hearty round dinner rolls or larger bread bowls and fill with chili.

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Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Bake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Bake

This 5-ingredient casserole features convenient frozen hash brown potatoes, a can of Sloppy Joe sauce and can of chili.

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Big Batch Chili

Photo: Lee Harrelson

Recipe: Big Batch Chili

This top-rated slow-cooker chili is a tasty crowd-pleaser, perfect for tailgating, Super Bowl parties, and other cool weather gatherings.

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Easy Chili

Photo: Lee Harrelson

Recipe: Easy Chili

Look no further for the ultimate classic, easy chili recipe. Made in a slow cooker for simple a weekday meal. Top with shredded Cheddar cheese and corn chips.

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Chunky Beef Chili

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Chunky Beef Chili

Chuck roast replaces ground beef in this meaty dish.

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Chili in a Biscuit Bowl

Photo: Tina Cornett

Recipe: Chili in a Biscuit Bowl

Two Southern classics come together to create one crowd-pleasing dish.

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Classic Beef Chili

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Clasic Beef Chili

This traditional chili recipe will become your go-to for easy weeknight dinners and weekend entertaining.

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West Texas Chili

Southern Living

Recipe: West Texas Chili

Unlike traditional chili, this Texas-style chili recipe omits beans and tomatoes but is still packed with flavors from spices.

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Beef-and-Butternut Squash Chili

Southern Living

Recipe: Beef-and-Butternut Squash Chili

We've loaded this chili with veggies like butternut squash, corn, and green bell peppers. 

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Red Bean Chili

Southern Living

Recipe: Red Bean Chili

A short ingredient list and hands-off cooking method will make this chili recipe one of your new favorite weeknight dinners. 

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Brisket-and-Black Bean Chili with Cilantro-Lime Crema

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Brisket-and-Black Bean Chili with Cilantro-Lime Crema

You can whip up the Cilantro-Lime Crema while your slow cooker does the cooking for you. 

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Slow-Cooker Brisket Chili

Hector M. Sanchez

Reicpe: Slow-Cooker Brisket Chili

For the last hour, uncover the chili and let it continue to cook on low to allow it to slightly thicken. 
 

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Black Bean Chili

Southern Living

Recipe: Black Bean Chili

If you think black bean chili is a meatless meal, think again. This hearty chili recipe mixes black beans and top sirloin steak meat for a filling dinner everyone will love.

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Pork Chili Verde

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Pork Chili Verde

If you love chili but are ready to branch out from a traditional beef chili recipe, we think you'll love the flavor profile of this chili Verde.

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