This is not just any beef chili, this is the best chili on earth! The meat is oven roasted with honey and then slow cooked on the stovetop for a deep and rich flavor. My homemade ground beef chili recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients and is easy to make. Perfect for meal prepping, and the longer you leave it the better it tastes!
I know, I know, summer has officially started and here's me posting a big old comforting chili recipe! My timing may not be spot on, but the recipe certainly is! I've been playing around with this for quite some time, various versions have been gobbled up by Mr Slow The Cook Down over the past couple of months. This my friends, is more than a tried and tested recipe, this has been crafted and sweated over in my tiny condo kitchen and honestly, I don't know if I could get it any more perfect! Now I just need to find a chili contest to enter it in to - or feel free to enter this on my behalf....!
There are a few things that makes this ground beef chili super special, but it's still pretty straight forward to make. This is a long and slow cook, so don't be making this for a quick weeknight meal. Take some time on Sunday, cook up a batch and enjoy it throughout the week. Like a fine red wine (and a certain food blogger!) it gets better with age!
If chili is your jam, be sure to check out my White Bean Chili with Shredded Chicken.
How to make ground beef chili - step by step
One of the key differences with this chili, is that your ground beef is roasted first. It's a little trick I learnt from Tom Kerridge and it's an awesome way of getting flavor into dishes. Mix the ground beef with pepper, salt, chili powder, paprika, cumin and honey, then into a re-heated oven.
It will take about an hour for the beef to roast up good and proper, be sure to stir it every 10-15 minutes to break it up. At first, the beef will release a lot of fat and kind of all meld together, but don't fear! Break up the meat, keep stirring until it has really browned.
While your meat is cooking, prep your veggies!
Add a little oil into a big pot (the largest you have - this chili is at least eight servings) and add in chili powder, cayenne, paprika, cumin and the dried herbs. Let the spices heat up a little and give it a stir and add in the onion, garlic and jalapenos.
Once the onion has started to soften, add in the bell peppers and mushrooms and give them a good 5-10 minutes in the pot, stirring every now and again so everything is covered with the spice mix. Pour in some red wine, give it a stir and another 5-10 minutes on the heat.
Add to the pot the rest of the ingredients (roasted beef, stock, tomato paste, fire roasted tomatoes, pinto and black beans, Worcestershire and sugar).
Bring the pot to the boil, pop it to a simmer and let it do it's thing! It'll take a good 1 ½ hours for the ground beef chili to cook down, and about half way through pop the lid on so that it doesn't dry out.
I like to then keep it on a super low heat for an hour to really let those flavors come alive.
How to serve roasted ground beef chili
All good chilis deserve a wealth of toppings to compliment them. A mixture of cooling, spicy and fresh toppings really make this chili come alive. I used...
- sour cream
- avocado
- shredded cheese
- lime wedge (be sure to squeeze it over!)
- fresh jalapeno slices
- fresh corriander (or parsley if you are taste adverse).
Serve it along side a portion of rice and you have one well balanced and super delicious meal. You can of course also serve it in a burger bun or on a hot dog 🙂
Is ground beef chili healthy?
I used to think of chili as something pretty indulgent, and although I will not claim this to be a diet food, it does have a lot of ingredients that contribute to good health.
Ground beef
Red meat is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. It's a great source of protein, fibre as well as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It goes without saying you shouldn't eat red meat everyday, especially if we are talking processed beef, but once or twice a week and it will contribute to good health.
Beans
Is it even a chili without beans? I used black and pinto beans in this recipe, but you can play fast and lose as to what varieties you want to include. Beans are a nutrient dense food, high in protein and a great source of iron, zinc, fiber ad magnesium. They have some powerful antioxidants in them too.
Vegetables
There's a good mix of veggies in my ground beef chili recipe; tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, bell peppers and mushrooms. Tonnes of goodness in the form of varied vitamins and minerals. Feel free to add in other veg too - carrots are always a favorite of mine...
What ground beef to use in chili
For the best and healthiest chili, be sure to buy lean, organic, grass fed beef not raised on antibiotics and local if you can. I'm a big advocate of buying fresh meat from either a local butcher shop or a farmers market rather than a super store. It's fresher, they know where it's from and it's a better quality product. We are super lucky where we live, there are great local butchers in walking distance, not to mention the amazing St. Lawrence Market. If your not so lucky, grab the best you can at your local store.
How spicy is this chili?
I can sometimes be a bit of a wimp when it comes to spice - I like it, but not that much! This has got a slight hit to it, but nothing crazily eye-watering, and nothing a little sour cream can't assist with.
To make the dish hotter, I would maybe add in one or two fresh red chilies when you add the jalapenos, and you can always add a little more cayenne and chili powder - don't come crying to me if it's too hot though!
To make the dish milder, you can omit the cayenne and reduce the chili powder a little - but would it even still be a chili?!
Meal prep for the week
No lie, we have lived off a pot of this chili for a good week! It freezes really well for fuss free weeknight meals, and it will also keep covered in the fridge for a good 4-5 days. If you are planning on eating it the next day, simply pop a lid on the pot - I find letting it sit at room temperature really amps up the flavors.
Top tips for making this Roasted Ground Beef Chili recipe
- Get the best quality beef you can.
- Make sure that your spices are fresh and not stale for maximum flavor.
- If you can't get fresh jalapenos you can use the jarred variety - fresh is always best though!
- Use fire roasted canned tomatoes, they have a much better flavor.
- Use brown sugar, it has a much deeper flavor to it.
- Don't skimp on cooking time and let that chili sit!
Be sure to check out these other tasty beef recipes!
Beef Curry Stew with Coconut Milk
Marinated Beef Stir Fry with Rainbow Vegetables
I love hearing from you!! If you have tried this honey and truffle burger with brie, be sure to scroll down, give it a star rating and let me know what you thought!
For more tasty treats, food inspiration and fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest – come say hi!
Roasted Ground Beef Chili
Ingredients
For the roasted beef
- 21 ounces lean ground beef (600g)
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 3 tablespoons honey
For the chili
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
- 2 red onions diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 5 jalapenos chopped
- 2 bell peppers red, yellow or orange, sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms roughly chopped (225g)
- ½ cup red wine (120ml)
- 5.5 ounces tomato paste (156ml)
- 28 ounces fire roasted crushed tomatoes (793g)
- 4 cups beef stock (950ml)
- 19 ounces canned pinto beans (540g)
- 19 ounces canned black beans (540g)
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
To serve (optional)
- avocado
- shredded cheese
- sliced jalapeno
- sour cream
- cilantro
Instructions
For the roasted ground beef
- Preheat the oven to 390ºf / 200ºc
- Put the beef into a baking tray and all of the spices and honey. Mix well with your hands so the strands are covered at put in the oven.
- Cook the beef for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes until it is a deep brown. Put to one side.
For the chili
- Add a little oil to a large pot and put in on a medium high heat on the stove top. Add the spices and dried herbs along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Let the spices warm up and give them a little stir.
- Add in the onions, garlic and jalapenos, stir well so they are coated with the spices and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onions start to soften.
- Add the peppers and mushrooms , stir well and cook for another 10 minutes until the mushrooms soften.
- Add in the red wine. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the wine has reduced by half.
- Add the roasted ground beef to the pot, along with the rest of the ingredients. Bring the pot to a rolling boil and then leat it simmer.
- Let the chili cook for around 60 to 90 minutes, giving it a stir every now and again.
- One a lot of the liquid has cooked off, put a lid on and turn the heat to low. Cook until it reaches your favoured consistency.
- Serve!
Mark says
Ingredients need to be scaled down for 2-4 people. Never have to serve 8-10!
Slow The Cook Down says
Hey Mark, this is easily halved if you want a smaller portion. I like to make a big batch and then freeze it for easy meals over the next few weeks 🙂
Amanda Mason says
This chili looks amazing! I love the tip of roasting the ground beef! And the vegetable options...so versatile! I eat chili year round and I love to try different variations. Can't wait to make this!!
Slow The Cook Down says
Thanks Amanda! Roasting the beef really enhances the flavor, it's so worth doing 🙂