What's Inside: Enjoy the comfort flavors with this small batch of homemade Dutch Oven chili ready in 30 minutes, cooked on the stove. The perfect recipe for two!
Chili con carne is one of my favorite childhood meals. My mom made it on the weekends in the slow cooker, which took about 8 hours!
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I perfected the method to make a small batch with the same flavor. And you'll only need as little as 30 minutes. Making it an excellent meal for weeknight dinners.
This quick version is made with simple ingredients and my homemade chili seasoning that you'll love.
Cooking it in a Dutch Oven (affiliate link) on your stove top will mimic the slow cooker (affiliate link) method since it maintains the heat, helping it get that rich flavor.
You can use it in dips or eat it by itself. It's super versatile and filling comfort food. If you want to feed a crowd, you can double or triple-batch it without issues.
You should try this fantastic meal! Trust me when I say you won't be disappointed.
❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This small batch of chili serves 2 and prevents food waste. Enjoy a tasty meal without leftovers.
- You can double the recipe to enjoy during the week or repurpose it.
- Have accessible ingredients and easy steps to follow with a flavorful result.
- Ready in 30 minutes, making it a weeknight meal winner.
📋 Ingredients & Substitutions
To make this recipe, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Ground Beef is my favorite chili meat because it's super simple to cook. Recommended 85/15, since the oil it releases will be used to cook the veggies. You can use ground turkey, pork, or beef shanks; these last ones will take longer to cook, so keep that in mind.
- Chili seasoning adds a rich flavor to the chili, and you can use it in various meals. With this homemade seasoning, there is no need for store-bought packets.
- Kidney beans: This recipe uses a can, drained and rinsed for a quick chili. If you prefer, you can omit it. If you like other types of beans, you can use pinto, black or white beans.
- Tomato puree: This ingredient gives a rich flavor, and combined with the seasoning, it's just perfect.
- Chicken stock: You can use any you have on hand, beef stock or vegetable.
- Aromatics: Onion, Garlic, Worcestershire sauce.
- Salt and brown sugar, this last one balances out all the rich flavors.
- Oil: optional for browning the meat and sauteing the veggies. You can use any neutral flavored oil, like canola, vegetable, or light olive oil.
Since this recipe will be cooked on the stove, you'll need a chopping board (affiliate link), a knife, an enameled Dutch Oven (affiliate link), a Spoon or spatula (affiliate link), and a few measuring cups and spoons.
Now that you have gathered your ingredients let's go through the step-by-step process of making ground beef chili together.
Enameled Dutch Oven
This is my favorite one! You can cook many things in it: sauces, curries, you name it. Use it for baking or cooking on the stove.
📝 How To Make Dutch Oven Chili
Prep
- The first step for prepping is having all your ingredients and utensils to make the recipe near you.
- Chop your onions into small cubes, mince the garlic, and set it aside.
- Drain and rinse your kidney beans and set them aside.
Tip: If you make this on a weekday, you can meal prep these ingredients on the weekend and store them in the fridge to be ready for use.
- Measure all the ingredients and have them near your stove or where you plan to cook it.
Cooking
- In the Dutch oven, sear your ground beef for 2-5 minutes over medium-high heat until it's no longer pink, then transfer to a plate and set aside. Do not remove the fat. This will be used to cook the veggies.
💡Pro Tip: Properly heating the Dutch oven prevents the ingredients from sticking.
- If there is no oil in the pot, add 1 teaspoon, then add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the browned ground beef and the chili seasoning and mix. This step will bloom the seasoning spices, giving the meat more flavor.
- Add the tomato puree, drained kidney beans, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and chicken stock, and mix. Cover and let it simmer at low heat for about 20 minutes. Stirring every so often to prevent it from sticking at the bottom.
Tip: You can cook it for up to 1 hour since it's a small batch.
- Once the time you chose to simmer is up, taste it and rectify salt if needed. Serve with your favorite side and enjoy a delicious comfort Dutch Oven Chili bowl.
Check out the What to Serve section with great ideas to pair this dish.
🫙Store & Reheat
Fridge: Keeping the chili in an airtight container for up to 4 days is best once the chili has cooled. This will help maintain its freshness and prevent it from spoiling.
Freezer: If you made a large batch, use Souper cubes or freezer Ziplock bags; store them in 1-2 cup portions for easier reheating later. This will last about 3 months. Label the container with the date and content. When ready to use, there is no need for thawing. Go directly to reheating on the stove.
Stove: Place the chili into a saucepan, cover, and cook on medium-low heat or until heated. If reheating from frozen, add a couple of tablespoons of liquid. *Best method
Microwave: Place it in a microwave-safe bowl, add a tablespoon of chicken broth, and heat until piping hot (about 2-3 minutes, depending on the watts of your microwave).
👩🏽🍳 Expert Tips
- Ensure the Dutch oven is hot before adding the oil. This will prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom when browning.
- Simmer the chili on low heat for longer to enhance the flavors and create a more complex profile.
- Brown the meat before adding it to the chili for extra flavor.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning after cooking; this will help enhance the flavor to your liking. You could add more chili seasoning, salt, or pepper.
- Adjust the thickness of the sauce by reducing or adding more liquid.
- The day after, it will have even more flavor. You can cook it the day before and enjoy it later so the ingredients can integrate better.
- The secret ingredient is unsweetened cocoa powder. This reminded me of when I went to Mexico and tasted a mole sauce with chocolate; it was so rich and funny that it didn't taste chocolaty.
Meal Prep Tip: Make a larger batch and freeze individual portions for quick meals on busy days. Follow the freezing instructions below.
❓FAQs
Absolutely! Don't hesitate to make the recipe your own. By leaving out the beans, you'll achieve a meatier texture.
A large pot with a heavy bottom and lid will work if you don't have one. If using a Dutch oven, it's better to use an enameled one to prevent corrosion.
Cooking chili in a Dutch oven allows consistent heat distribution, resulting in a delicious and evenly cooked meal. Additionally, the Dutch oven's tight-fitting lid helps to lock in the flavors and moisture of the chili, creating a rich and flavorful dish.
Yeap. Double the amount of each ingredient and cook for about 45 minutes to 2 hours. Also, make sure your Dutch oven is big enough.
🔖 Recipe Variations
- Want more heat? Add more chili flakes, cayenne pepper, or diced jalapeños (add these with the onion at the beginning of the cooking process). Start with 1/4 teaspoon for the flakes and 1/8 teaspoon for the cayenne and increase from there.
- Not a fan of beans? Skip them.
- Replace the kidney beans with pinto beans, black beans, white beans, or a mixture of those.
- Make a vegetarian version by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable one, omitting the ground beef, and using 2-3 canned beans (all the same or different varieties).
- Add other meats, like chorizo, bacon, or ground pork.
- Want to add other textures? Toss in veggies like zucchini, corn, and bell peppers to bulk the meal.
🍽 What To Serve With Dutch Oven Chili
The recipe is intended to serve 2 as a main dish with a small side. You can divide it into 3-4 smaller portions and enjoy it as a small appetizer.
My favorite way to enjoy this bowl of chili is with white rice. This is not traditional, but it's easy since I always have rice.
You can also serve it with:
- Nachos or tortilla chips
- Bread
- Cornbread
- Fried plantains (yellow or green)
- Arepas
- Baked potatoes
- Simple green salad
Chili Toppings:
- Cheese (grated cheddar cheese, Monterrey Jack, or crumbled queso fresco)
- Sour cream
- Diced avocado
- Tortilla strips
- Fresh cilantro
Other Comfort Food You'll Love
Looking for other comfort meals like this? Try these:
Whether you're cooking for a weeknight dinner or a cozy weekend meal, this Chili Con Carne will be the best of both worlds! Add it to your weekly meal rotation and enjoy it.
If you have tried this Dutch oven chili con carne recipe or any other recipe on Nashi Food, remember to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! We love to hear about your cooking experience.
Chile con Carne (Dutch Oven)
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground beef, with some fat content of about 85/15
- 2 tablespoons homemade chili seasoning, review notes for amounts
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (16oz)
- 1 cup tomato puree
- ¾ cups Low-sodium chicken stock
- ½ onion, finely chopped (½ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil , optional
Instructions
Preparation
- If you need to make the chili seasoning, then mix all the spice ingredients, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cocoa powder, dried oregano, and chili flakes in a small bowl and set aside. Separate 2 Tablespoons from this mixture and store the rest. (See notes for amounts)
- Dice the onion into small cubes and set aside.
- Mince the garlic and set aside.
Cooking
- In the Dutch oven, sear your ground beef for 2-5 minutes over medium heat until it's no longer pink. Transfer to a plate. Do not remove the fat. This will be used to cook the veggies.
- If there is not enough oil, add one teaspoon to the Dutch oven, add the onion and garlic to the same pot, and saute until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the ground beef and the chili seasoning (1 Tablespoon) to the pot and mix. This step will help the meat get the flavors from the start until the fragrance starts to pull through.
- Add the tomato puree, drained kidney beans, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and chicken stock, and mix. Cover and let it simmer at low heat for about 20 minutes. Stirring every so often to prevent it from sticking at the bottom. You can cook it for longer if you prefer, for up to 1 hour since it’s a small batch.
- Now your kitchen will smell amazing, and you can serve it with some white rice and cheddar cheese and enjoy!
Notes
- Ground Beef: You can use ground turkey, pork, or beef shanks; these last ones will take longer to cook, so keep that in mind.
- Kidney beans: You can use pinto, black, or white beans or omit them altogether.
- Chicken stock: You can use any you have on hand, beef stock or vegetable.
- Oil: optional for browning the meat and sauteing the veggies. You can use any neutral flavored oil, like canola, vegetable, or light olive oil.
- 1½ Tablespoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
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