Texas Chili

5 from 3 votes

A bold, budget-friendly Texas Chili recipe made with ground beef, chipotles, and warm spices for rich, smoky flavor without the beans.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Total Cost: $9.14 recipe / $2.29 serving

Servings: servings (1¼ cup each)

Calories: 366kcal

Author: Melissa Nolan

Equipment

Large Pot or Dutch Oven

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef $5.94*
½ tsp salt $0.02
½ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.08
1 onion small dice, (265g, 2 cups) $0.72
1 jalapeño deseeded, small dice (30g, 2 Tbsp) $0.11
3 garlic cloves minced (9g, 1 heaping Tbsp) $0.18
2 Tbsp tomato paste $0.14
½ Tbsp chili powder $0.05**
½ Tbsp paprika $0.06
½ tsp ground cumin $0.02
½ tsp dried oregano $0.06
¼ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder $0.05
1 tsp brown sugar $0.01
¼ tsp ground cinnamon $0.01
2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce finely chopped, (50g) $0.41
14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes in juice, $0.96
2 cups beef broth $0.32***

Instructions

Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook the beef for 5 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks.
Once browned, remove the ground beef using a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the pot. Set it aside.
Next, add the onions, jalapeño, and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle in the chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, cocoa, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the beef and any drippings back to the pot. Add the chipotle peppers, diced tomatoes with juices, and beef broth. Bring to a simmer. Once the soup is at a simmer, continue cooking for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the chili has thickened, garnish with your favorite toppings and enjoy.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Video

Notes

*Traditionally, Texas chili is made with chuck roast, brisket, or stew beef. I chose ground beef (27/73) for the price. If you already have chuck, brisket or stew beef to hand or have room in your budget, go ahead and use it instead! Dice the meat into evenly sized 1/2-inch cubes, then follow the recipe as written (brown the beef, remove from the pan, then add it back in step 7). Simmer until tender and cooked through, which may take longer than 30 minutes.

**Chili powder is a mild blend of chilies and other spices used to season chili. You can also use our homemade chili seasoning in place of store-bought chili powder.

***I like to use Better Than Bouillon to make broths to keep costs low.

Nutrition

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