Chili has got to be the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Both the spices and warm soup help warm up the body! This is my favorite chili recipe!
One of my favorite dishes is chili. I can eat chili winter, summer, spring or fall! This chili recipe I’m sharing with you today, is chili “my way.” The men in my family like their chili thick and chunky with beef. I like mine a little less thick and chunky with tomatoes.

The thing about chili is that there really is no right or wrong way to make chili. It’s kind of like meatloaf. Everyone has a recipe for meatloaf or an idea of how meatloaf should be made. The thing about meatloaf though, I never eat someone else’s meatloaf. Nope. Never. Chili – I will try anyone’s version and somehow I still keep coming back to this chili recipe.

Chili Recipe
This chili recipe is my comfort food. Pair it with some good saltine crackers, chopped onion and you’ve got the perfect chili combo.
Dried Beans
It all starts with the dried beans. You can either follow the overnight pre-soak method or the quick soak method. You can read all about the three different methods for soaking beans here. I use a blend of dry beans, including: black beans, pinto beans, great northern beans and lentils. Sometimes I also add garbanzo beans (my hubby’s favorite).
Chili Seasoning
Here’s where the real magic happens. Add in your chili seasoning. I make up a large batch of this chili seasoning and store it in the refrigerator (keeps the spices fresh) so I always have some on hand. You’ll find my Chili Seasoning Recipe

It just doesn’t get much better than this when it comes to good old fashioned home cooked comfort food – midwestern style. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. Next time, maybe I’ll share my White Chicken Chili Recipe. Now, talk about some major yum!!

Chili
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups dry beans
- 2 lbs ground chuck
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 12 oz tomato paste
- 1 28 oz whole tomatoes
- 2 tbsp chili seasoning
Instructions
- You can either overnight pre-soak your beans or use the quick soak method. Once your beans have been soak and are ready to cook, place beans in a large stock pot and cover with with water to cook over medium heat.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground chuck and onion, breaking up the meat as it cooks with a wooden spoon or fork. Cook until meat is no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Drain.
- Add the cooked ground chuck to the pot of beans, along with a 12 oz can of tomato paste. Stirring until well blended.
- Then add one 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, breaking them up with your hand as you add them to the pot of beans.
- Add in chili seasoning and salt to taste. Still well to blend all the spices.
- Continue to cook the chili over medium low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the spices from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 550Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 850mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 11gSugar: 24gProtein: 43g
More Recipe Ideas
If you enjoyed this Chili soup recipe, you might also enjoy these recipes from The Birch Cottage:
Til next time…

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