Tex-Mex · Soups & stews

Beef and bean chili

Name: Beef and bean chili
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons neutral oil; 1 large yellow onion, diced; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 3 tablespoons mild chili powder; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 1/2 pounds 85% lean ground beef; 3 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes; 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto or kidney beans, drained, one can lightly mashed; 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; Shredded cheddar, sour cream, diced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges, for serving

Ground beef and pinto beans in a thick tomato-chile sauce with cumin, oregano, and a small amount of cocoa for savory depth.

About 1 hrTotal

About 1 hrActive

$$Cost

ModerateDifficulty

Makes 6 servings

Equipment

Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Best value covered pot
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched capacity, lid fit, oven rating, heat retention, maneuverability, care, stable model identity, and usefulness outside bread baking. Kwilt has not baked with this pot.
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43: The six-quart capacity, heavy cast-iron body, and fitted lid create the enclosed high-heat environment used by these bread methods while remaining useful beyond baking. Trade-off: At more than thirteen pounds it is demanding to move when hot, and the enamel needs gentler utensils and hand washing.
Another workable path: Bake on a preheated heavy sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl, keeping face and hands clear when removing the hot cover.
Sources
Lodge six-quart Essential Enamel specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons mild chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto or kidney beans, drained, one can lightly mashed
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Shredded cheddar, sour cream, diced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

Heat oil in a over medium. Add onion, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook 7 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano and stir 30 seconds.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef, season with another 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into irregular bite-size crumbles, until no pink remains and browned bits form.
Stir in tomato paste and cocoa and cook 2 minutes until the paste darkens; the cocoa should smell toasted but not chocolatey. Add crushed tomatoes, whole and mashed beans, broth, Worcestershire, and remaining salt.
Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook uncovered 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to mound on a spoon. Add broth only if the pot catches before the flavors meld.
Taste for salt and heat and rest 10 minutes. Serve with toppings at the table, especially lime and sour cream, so one moderately spiced pot can work for different household preferences.

TexasTexas and Southwestern American cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Bean chili reflects American household and regional practice rather than competition chili con carne rules; browned beef, dried chile spices, tomatoes, and mixed whole-and-mashed beans make a family-flexible pot.

Chili con carne has borderlands roots and many fiercely defended regional forms; Texas competition chili often excludes beans. This is the equally familiar American household and Tex-Mex bowl built from ground beef, tomatoes, and beans. Cocoa is used in a one-tablespoon savory role to deepen toasted chile and tomato, not to make the chili sweet or claim a single canonical style. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Choose the familiar ground-beef-and-bean household form, retain the evidence-backed paste browning and bean mashing, and reject expensive specialty-chile complexity that comparative testing found divisive.

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