Award Winning Beef and Bean Chili
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There’s a reason this chili won a local chili cook-off! I’ve kept my recipe closely guarded for years, but today I’m finally spilling the beans about my award winning chili.
If you asked me what my signature dish is, I would have to say it’s my beef and bean chili. I started making “my chili” about 15 years ago, and it’s consistently received rave reviews from family and friends.
It even won 1st place in a local chili cook-off, for which I received a lovely prize of a bottle of tequila, a plaque, and our team name permanently added to the walls of Baja Cantina in Marina del Rey, California.
For years I kept my recipe closely guarded, holding onto the dream that I might one day enter one of those big chili cook-offs where you can win actual money and other exciting prizes.
But…since nearly 10 years have passed and I’ve yet to do so, it’s time to share my secrets.
The key to my award winning chili:
- Bold spice (but not too spicy unless you want it to be)
- Beefy flavor (not overly tomato-y as some chili can be), and
- My secret ingredient, which I’ll get to in just a minute. ;)
When I’m making this chili recipe on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I like to experiment and take my time. I’ll often use sauteed onions, diced garlic, roasted peppers, fresh jalapenos, and a variety of spices and seasonings.
I’ll let it simmer on the stovetop for hours, stirring, tasting, adding a pinch of this and a dash of that, and letting the flavors mingle until we’re ready to eat.
But I don’t always have the time or patience for that.
Sometimes I just want to make a batch of chili on a busy Tuesday night. And that is the recipe I’m sharing today.
This chili recipe can go from stovetop to dinner table in 30 minutes, and uses basic ingredients that you can keep stored in your pantry.
OK, now for the secret ingredient in my award winning chili…
Are you ready?
GARBANZO BEANS!
I originally used only kidney beans in the chili, but one day I forgot to buy them and resorted to using garbanzos from my pantry as a substitute. We were immediately hooked, and I’ve been using a combination of kidney beans and garbanzos ever since.
The garbanzo beans add a texture that’s uniquely satisfying, especially when combined with white rice and shredded cheese, which is how we insist on eating it at our house.
If you love chili, I am confident you’ll love this recipe. And if you win any chili cook-offs with it, you totally owe me a bottle of tequila.
Adjusting the salt
I like my chili fairly salty, so I add about one additional teaspoon in addition to what I included in the recipe. If you don’t like things salty or you need to limit your salt for health reasons, add the salt little by little until you get it just right.
Best chili powder to use
The type of chili powder you use may affect the overall heat and flavor of the chili. I’m not partial to any particular brand, but I used McCormick in this recipe.
like your chili spicy?
If you like your chili spicy, my favorite way to heat it up is to use chipotle powder. If you prefer it more mild, just leave it out. If you can’t find chipotle powder, you can always add a little bit of cayenne or red pepper flakes instead.
Thickening the Chili
If you find that the chili is a little too watery, and you don’t have time to let it simmer down, you can thicken it with a cornstarch slurry.
Just place some of the warm chili liquid into a bowl and whisk in a tsp of cornstarch. When it’s evenly combined, return the mixture to the chili and stir. You can repeat this until you achieve the desired consistency.
Award Winning Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 32 oz beef broth
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 4 oz can diced green chiles
- 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
- 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp chipotle powder, only if you like it spicy!!
- cooked white rice, for serving
- shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a soup pot over medium heat. Drain any fat. Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a slight simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes or until ready to serve (the longer you simmer the more it will thicken). Serve over white rice and top with shredded cheese.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
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37 Comments on “Award Winning Beef and Bean Chili”
I can see why it’s award winning! I love beans in my chili!
Spilling the beans… I’m a sucker for puns! But in all seriousness this recipe is amazing.
This looks like an award winning chili for sure! Looks delicious!
I like your idea of adding chipotle powder to make it more spicy because I like a hot chili! I’ve also never had chili with garbanzo beans so I’m excited to try something new.
Thanks for sharing this delicious chili recipe with us! Love the addition of green chiles!
Tried this receipe, it was great! I added a bit of jalapeño peppers as I like it hot. Never have i ever added beef broth, it sure added to the flavor. Best receipe I have tried, thank you! Five thumbs up!
One thing I will never try again is that award winning recipe. Way too much chili and cumin. Give me Betty Crocker recipe any day of the week.
I’m sorry you weren’t a fan. We love the bold flavors, but I guess it’s not for everyone. Fortunately most people seem to love it!
Just entered a contest today and I walked away with 1st place!! Thank you sooooooo much for this amazing recipe! 👌
For someone who doesn’t cook, this is an amazing feeling! ,🙂
Love it! Thanks for sharing.
This looks heavenly and it’s simple to make. I could eat it with a spoon on this cold winter day!
What a great idea to add chickpeas to this amazing chilli! I wish I had a bowl right now.
Thanks so much for sharing your chili recipe with us!! I love the use of garbanzo beans!
I love chili and have never added chickpeas to it, I’ll have to give it a try!
Thanks for sharing your award-winning recipe. I love spice and I can’t wait to try your recipe.
2 tbsp of cumin and 3 tbsp of chili powder? Are those typos? We love, love, love spice……but it’s not that it was too spicy heat wise, (we are in the chipotle) it was just very powerful. Like kick you in your mouth powerful. It was like I was eating straight cumin and chili powder.
We did triple the recipe because I made it for a huge event. The event starts in an hour. I just added even more beef broth, hoping to dilute it a bit and decided to make the rice to help out too.
I saw this recipe and fell in love as I love both cumin and chipotle, but have never used them in chili.
I guess it’s just my hubby and me, but we thought this was too powerful…not too spicy, but too concentrated of a flavor.
Nope, not a typo. Perhaps the brand/type of chili powder you used could make an impact on the flavor. But we don’t find it too bold at all!
Hmmmm ok. We tripled the recipe and used all the chili powder and cumin we had, which wasn’t the full amount (7 out of the 9 Tbs needed for chili powder and 5 out o the 6 Tbs of cumin needed), and even then I felt it needed to be diluted, which is interesting since I usually think things aren’t flavorful enough.
Once I diluted it a bit though (by adding in more beef broth), I loved it. I do have to say the combination of chili powder, cumin, chipotle, and diced green chilis is gold! I loved the flavor; I just needed it toned down a bit since I felt like I was eating straight cumin–cumin is strong stuff.
But overall, great recipe. We did get 4th place out of 35 kinds of chili’s. This one with pineapple in it took first. Who knew that pineapple would be good in chili? It was yum!
I’m glad you ended up loving it! I do think chili is one of those recipes that’s always best served by tasting and tweaking to your suit individual tastes. On that note, I can’t imagine a chili with pineapple!? :) But if it won, it must’ve been pretty tasty.
This was an excellent recipe. I am not much of a cook and made chile for the first time with this recipe for our neighbors chile cook off nfl Sunday and I won. The only problem for me was that my wife who is an excellent cook thought I did such a great job she thinks I should cook more often :) The rice was something most frowned upon at first but it was an excellent idea to help thicken it more and evryone loved it. I let it simmer for about 3 1/2 hours before serving and I would say I thought it was even better for leftovers the next 2 days. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Dave! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and WON! Hopefully you got a good prize :)
Do you have a recipe to use raw beans. I wanted to try to make it from scratch. Thank you
Hi Nadia! Before I got an instant pot, I would soak raw beans overnight, and then cook them all day in a slow cooker. I would just cook the beans separately and then add them to the chili once they’re soft.
I love chili and have it often during the winters in New England. I love your combination of spices. Delish!
Yummy,
this looks fantastic! I just recently made chili for the first time (shame on me) since that moment we ate it three times (making up for the lost time). I’ve never heard of Garbanzo’s. Time to do some research!
Thanks for sharing! I don’t think I’ll win a contest but I’ll drink a glass to honour your recipe haha
Oh… that looks SO GOOD! It’s cold and snowy here so this looks perfect for a nice cozy dinner. I love easy weeknight recipes!
I love the secret ingredient. Garbanzo beans are one of those things that I never had growing up and have only recently started to use in cooking. This recipe looks like the perfect comfort food meal.
Chili is one of our favorite meals!! With all the yummy toppings of course :)
That’s a great looking chili, really like that photo. Perfect for winter and so easy.
Ooohh, the secret recipe has been revealed!! I’m going to have to make it. Just by looking at the ingredients, I know Mike is going to love it!
I hope so! :)
I’ve got chili on the menu for next week! Not sure what night yet, but it is definitely chili season and I’ve been craving it. I made a chicken chili a while back that used garbanzo beans, but I’ve never tried them in beef chili. And I’ve got a can in the pantry!
If you make, you’ll have to let me know what you think!
Love this chili! I was happy we got some at Christmas!
You’ll have to try the “spiced up” version. The one we had was mild “for the kids.” Lame. :)
Can’t wait to try …..so hungry for chili. It is 12 degrees tonight so time for hearty chili.
I was thinking of all the East Coasters when I was making this! It’s still pretty pleasant in Houston compared to other parts of the country.