This easy homemade chili recipe makes the perfect store cupboard family dinner.

The other great thing about this ground beef chili is how versatile it is. Serve it on nachos or rice, in tacos or a baked potato, or even with buttered noodles.

This easy chili recipe was handed down to me by my dad. Every time he cooked this for anyone, they would ask for the recipe… and nobody could believe how easy it was!

Honestly – this homemade chili recipe is so easy, you feel like you are cheating!

I have tried many different homemade chili recipes over the years but I always come back to this one. For me it is the absolute best homemade chili. Not just because it is so simple, but it is delicious too.

You may also like this recipe: Leftover Chicken Chili.

Ingredients to make Chili

This is the ultimate store cupboard chili recipe, using just a few basic chili ingredients: ground beef, onions, garlic, canned tomato soup, kidney beans, chili powder and vinegar.

You don’t have to add the vinegar if you don’t have any, but I find it really does help bring out the flavor of the chili.

For the soup, try to use concentrated tomato soup. I have made it with cream of tomato soup before and the results aren’t nearly as good. If you only have cream of tomato soup, then maybe add a spoonful of tomato paste to add some richness to the dish.

I love a kidney bean chili but you could easily substitute them with black beans, cannellini beans or pinto beans – whatever you have in your pantry!

How much chili powder you add depends on how spicy you like your chili and how spicy your chili powder is. Remember it is much easier to add more spice later than it is to take it away!

How to make homemade Chili

Making homemade chili from scratch is so easy with this recipe!

All you need to do is cook the onions and garlic, then brown the beef… and then tip in all the other ingredients and let them cook together. That’s it!

Just be sure you give it a stir every now and then to stop it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

I also recommend that you let this easy to make chili cook for at least 30 minutes.

The longer you cook it the better it will taste. I find if you cook any ground beef recipe (like bolognese for example) they definitely benefit from cooking for AT LEAST 30 minutes – and longer if you can.

How to serve a simple homemade chili

The beauty of this beef chili recipe is just how versatile it is. My favorite way to serve it is on top of nachos, topped with melted cheese and a dollop of sour cream and guacamole, and maybe some pico de gallo.

Here are some other suggestions for serving homemade beef chili:

• Served over steamed rice.
• In tacos
• In a steaming hot baked potato
• With buttered noodles
• In Sloppy Joes
• On a hotdog
• Mixed with rice to make stuffed peppers
• On a homemade pizza
• To make chilli cheese fries…

Can you freeze beef chili?

Yes you absolutely can freeze chili. It freezes and re-heats really well.

I often make up a big batch and freeze half for an easy make-ahead meal on days when I don’t have time to cook a meal from scratch.

Pin it for Later!

Mama Loves to Cook is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, we may receive a small commission – at absolutely no extra cost to you.