Ground Beef and Bean Chili
This easy beef and bean chili is hearty, comforting, and simple. It’s a variation of one I’ve made for over 10 years now. It started as a replica of the chili my mom made when we were growing up, but since that first iteration, I’ve simplified the recipe and added a few more flourishes and flairs. The result? A hearty beef and black bean chili that has all the cozy vibes.
It’s made with ground beef, black beans, peppers, and chili seasonings. It’s not an all-day chili that takes a ton of time—you only need to simmer it for just over an hour. Once the flavors meld and the chili is thickened, you can serve it with your favorite chili toppings. You can also store it in the freezer for easy dinners when you need something quick.
Ingredients
- Ground beef: I like to use lean ground beef, like 90% or even 97% lean. You can use fattier ground beef, but you might want to drain the excess fat once it’s browned.
- Seasonings: Chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Black beans are my faves, but sometimes I’ll use pinto beans, kidney beans, or cannellini beans – basically, whatever is in my pantry when I’m ready to make some chili.
- Bell pepper: I like green bell peppers, but red, yellow, and orange are great, too. You can also try a mix if you want to jazz it up.
- Diced jalapeno peppers: Canned ones make things easy, but if you prefer fresh jalapeno, dice up one or two.
- Yellow onions
- Garlic
- Beef broth
- Tomato sauce
- Tomato paste
- Olive oil
- Lime juice
- Fresh cilantro
How to Make It
☑️ Brown the Beef
Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and brown it, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the tomato paste and stir so it coats the meat. Add all of the seasonings and stir again.
☑️ Simmer
Add all of the veggies, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Stir and bring the chili to a simmer, cover the pot, and lower the heat. Simmer the chili for at least an hour, stirring occasionally,
☑️ Finish it Up
Remove the lid and add the black beans. Stir and simmer the chili, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until it’s thickened. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro right at the end before serving it.
☑️ Garnish and Serve
You can add all of your favorite toppings, like sour cream, diced avocado, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips.
More Chili Recipes
Beef and Black Bean Chili
This beef and bean chili is one of my favorite chili recipes. It’s easy to prep and simmers for just over an hour – plus, it’s freezer-friendly.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: approximately 8 cups 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound 97% lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
- 1 (15-ounce) tomato sauce
- 16 ounces beef broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the meat and brown it, breaking it apart as it cooks. Once it’s browned, add the tomato paste and stir to coat the beef evenly.
- Add the onion, peppers, garlic, jalapenos, tomato sauce, and broth. Stir and bring the chili to a simmer. Adjust the heat to medium-low to low and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer the chili for about an hour. The chili should barely bubble as it cooks.
- Remove the lid and stir in the black beans. Adjust the heat to medium and simmer the chili, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until it’s thickened to your liking. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice before serving it.
Notes
This recipe is versatile—you can switch up the beans, use ground turkey instead of beef, or try different bell peppers. Sometimes, I substitute diced green chiles for the jalapenos.
You can add your favorite chili toppings, like sour cream, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado, or whatever else you like!
The chili keeps well in the refrigerator for three to four days. You can also freeze it for several months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 4.4g
- Sodium: 776.5mg
- Fat: 4.2g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.7g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 17.3g
- Fiber: 6.1g
- Protein: 17.2g
- Cholesterol: 33.9mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Recipes with Black Beans
Happy Cooking,
This beef and bean chili post and recipe have been updated from the archives. The post was first published in December 2014.
I love chili and your chili looks amazing, will be making this very soon.
Snowy day in Colorado…making this now for lunch. And dinner!
Sounds like a perfect, no nonsense chili recipe. I’m making this…comfort food for a chilly 52° Florida day. Thanks April.
Fried the beef, added tomato concentrate, added the onions, peppers, garlic, fried for a few minutes, then dumped the mix with all the other ingredients into my slow-cooker and cooked on low for 6 hours, with the lid off for the last hour to let it thicken. Delicious 🙂
So glad it worked in the slow cooker for you! Thanks for letting me know 🙂