The Best Beef and Bean Chili For Fall

Although we’re still struggling to get below 90º here in Dallas, fall IS here so the first day it dropped below 90º the other week, I immediately made chili. I fucking love chili, and I don’t discriminate either. I know there are a lot of folks who take their chili very, very seriously, and there are a lot of rules about what makes chili chili, but I’m not here to act like an expert. Basically, I Googled the best beef and bean chili recipe, found this from Fit Foodie Finds, made it, and it was DELICIOUS. So I’m sharing it with you here!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. 85% fat, 15% lean ground beef
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic (I used basically an entire bulb)
1 15-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced up
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup beef broth

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat a large stockpot over medium/high heat. Add the ground beef, yellow onion, and minced garlic and sauté for 7-10 minutes (or until beef is fully browned).
Next, add the drained and rinsed pinto beans and kidney beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, serrano pepper, and maple syrup to the pot and stir to combine.
Combine all the spices in a bowl and add them + 1 cup of beef broth to the pot. Stir to combine.
Bring it all to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken.
Top it off however you see fit (cheese, crackers, whatever) and enjoy!