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A spicy, warming, Crock-pot beef chili con carne with all the trimmings.Guaranteed to be a new family staple.It is Terrific comfort food for cold winter weekends.
Chili con carne – or often just chili – is a dish that creates a lot of heated debate. (See what I did there? Heated, because it can be spicy.) Beans or no beans. Tomatoes ore no tomatoes? Cheese or no cheese. Crackers or corn chips or Fritos or nothing? In total honesty, I have been involved in near shouting matches over whether or not chili has beans or not. With adults!
What about chili verde? Or white chili? Or vegetarian chili? How spicy should it be?All that’s before we get anywhere near the actual flavor ingredients. Who hasn’t heard of the chili cooks adding crushed Oreo cookies or some other unexpected ingredient to give their chili a little something extra?
Well, I won’t be settling any bets for you on these arguments with this chili con carne recipe. I can tell you that I’m in favor of beans (as you’ll see below) and I suggest making it as spicy as your palate (or your guest’s palates) can handle. On the rest of the controversies, I’m pretty agnostic.
If you want to thicken up your chili and give it a little backbone, then tomato puree will do that for you no problem. If you want to counterbalance the spice a bit, brown sugar will absolutely do that for you. A little bit of cheese or sour cream will give a creamier flavor and lighten the color, but I don’t usually prefer that. I personally really like the texture that crumbled crackers give my own bowl of chili, but I’ve also had tortilla chips that were good and chili that was so tasty naked that it would have been a crime to add anything to it.
I guess what I’m saying is that, even more than my other recipes, I’m not only encouraging you all to tinker and tweak chili con carne recipe, I’m expecting it. As always, I want to hear about your experiments in the comments, both successful and disastrous. Did you try that new Carolina Reaper pepper and scorch your mother-in-law’s tongue? Did you use beans and have somebody get extremely vocal about how real chili doesn’t have beans? Share your stories!
The one thing about this recipe that I do consider inviolate is the use of the crock-pot. Not only will it make your life easier to have dinner finished by the time you get home, but it will taste so much better! Much like a stew, chili ingredients mix into a delightful mélange that is only enhanced by hours of slow cooking. Change everything else if you must, but stick with the chili con carne recipe that goes in a crock-pot.
Thanks and I look forward to your comments!
Best Chili con Carne Recipe
Beef and Lentil Chili Con Carne
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1½ pounds ground beef, preferably 85/15
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced, seeds removed for less heat
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth, plus more as needed
- 1 cup dry brown or green lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
For serving
- Shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream, diced avocado, sliced jalapeños, cilantro, green onions, lime wedges, or crushed tortilla chips.
Instructions
- Brown the beef. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef in a fairly even layer and let it cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes so it develops a good brown crust. Break it apart and continue cooking until deeply browned, about 5–7 minutes total. Transfer to a plate, leaving about 1–2 tablespoons of fat in the pot.
- Build the flavor base. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil if needed, then add the onion, bell pepper and jalapeño. Cook for 5–6 minutes until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Caramelize the tomato paste. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, until it turns darker brick red. Don't skip this—it makes a noticeable difference.
- Bloom the spices. Add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, coriander, cayenne and cocoa powder. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
- Simmer. Return the beef to the pot. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, beef broth, lentils, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 35–45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender and the chili is thick. Add a splash of broth if it becomes too thick before the lentils are cooked.
- Finish it. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper and chili powder if necessary. Simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes if you'd like it thicker.
- Remove from the heat and let the chili rest for 10 minutes before serving. Stir in the cilantro or parsley.
Notes
- Use brown or green lentils. They hold their shape well during simmering. Avoid red lentils, which break down quickly and can make the chili mushy.
- Chili powder: This recipe uses American-style chili powder, which is a mild spice blend—not pure ground chile or cayenne pepper.
- Brown the beef well. Let it develop a deep brown crust before breaking it apart. This adds much more flavor to the finished chili.
- Adjust the consistency. If the chili gets too thick before the lentils are tender, add a splash of beef broth. For thicker chili, simmer uncovered for a few extra minutes.
- Adjust the heat. For a spicier chili, leave some jalapeño seeds in or add cayenne pepper to taste.
- Don't skip the resting time. Letting the chili sit for about 10 minutes before serving allows it to thicken and the flavors to come together.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The chili will thicken as it sits, so add a splash of broth when reheating.
- Freezing: Cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So easy and delicious Chili con carne!
