Best Ever Chili Recipe

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 strips bacon (sliced ½-inch thick)

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 medium yellow onion (diced)

1 green bell pepper (diced)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

2 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoon paprika (or smoked paprika)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (28-ounce can) fire-roasted diced tomatoes (you can use diced or crushed tomatoes)

1 (15-ounce can) black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 (15-ounce can) red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups beef broth

1 bay leaf

Optional garnish: avocado, red onion, shredded cheese or sour cream

Directions

Brown bacon

Cook the bacon. Heat a large pot on medium heat, add the sliced bacon and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat if bacon is browning too quickly.

Saute vegetables

Cook the veggies. Add the onion and bell pepper to the pot, stirring frequently. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.

Brown beef

Cook the beef. Add the ground beef, breaking into small pieces with a spatula, until cooked through. Strain off any accumulated liquid and fat from the pot.

Stir in spices

Add the aromatics. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the tomato paste, and dried spices, and cook until they are fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add canned ingredients

Add the rest and simmer. Add the canned tomatoes with juices, drained beans, beef broth, and bay leaf, and give it a stir. Increase the heat to high until the chili comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Serve. To serve, remove bay leaf and ladle servings into individual bowls. Garnish with avocado, red onion, cheese, cilantro or other toppings (I've got ideas above).

Nutrition

• Calories: 601 kcal
• Total Fat: 30 g
• Saturated Fat: 11 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 90 mg
• Sodium: 1154 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 46 g
• Dietary Fiber: 15 g
• Total Sugars: 5 g
• Protein: 37 g