Ground Beef Chili Bowls

This is a very simple ground beef chili recipe and you don't need many items to make it.

• Ground Beef: You could substitute ground pork or even ground turkey as long as you brown it in a bit of olive oil.
• Canned Tomato Sauce
• Rotel Tomatoes
• Minced Garlic
• Chili Powder
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Cayenne

And then just be prepped and ready with your favorite chili toppings. You can see my recommendations below.

How to Make the Chili

Brown the ground meat in a large pot with a lid. Once it is no longer pink, drain the fat from the pot and return the beef to the stovetop.

Add all the dry seasonings to the pot and stir. Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. This will toast the seasonings and flavor the meat.

Add the canned tomato sauce, Rotel tomatoes, and a little water to the pot and stir them in. Bring the mixture to a bubble.

Cook the chili for 1 hour, stirring it once in a while to check consistency.

It is a very thick chili but it should not stick to the bottom of the pot. If it starts to get too thick, just add a 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water at a time to thin it out again.

The best part of a chili bowl is mixing and matching your favorite toppings.

Some of my favorites to serve include:

• Shredded Cheese: Especially a good sharp cheddar but blue cheese crumbles would be a fun twist, too.
• Chopped Green Onions: I prefer these milder onions to a harsher raw white onion, but use whatever your family loves.
• Sour Cream
• Hot Sauce: The chili isn't too spicy. You could add hot sauce to kick it up or even a sprinkle more of cayenne.
• Buffalo Sauce: If you really want to add a boost of spice, this 3-ingredient buffalo sauce would be tasty drizzled over the top.
• Fresh Lime Wedges: I love a little fresh citrus with spicy foods like this.
• Fresh Cilantro: If you want to add fresh herbs, this is the one to use.

Serving Suggestions

You could serve this as a thick chili bowl with toppings alongside your favorite chips for dunking:

• Frito Corn Chips
• Tortilla Chips
• Potato Chips

It would be delicious with my slightly sweet steakhouse brown bread, a square of Grandma's buttermilk cornbread, or a wedge of garlic bread for dunking, too.

If you want a heartier meal, use this chili as a slowcooker sweet potato topping or spooned over a bowl of mashed potatoes.

You could bake a bag of frozen tater tots and use it to make a chili tot bowl or bake a batch of sweet and spicy roasted sweet potatoes and use those for a base for the chili.

If you're looking for more of an all-in-one type of dinner, you might enjoy this Crockpot hamburger hashbrown casserole that has the potatoes incorporated right into the dish.

Make Ahead Freezer Tips

The best part is that you can make a big batch of this thick beef chili and then separate it into smaller containers for your freezer.

I love to double this recipe for easy lunches or leftovers.

Defrost just what you need for countless easy recipes all winter long.

Simply reheat the chili in a sauce pan on the stove top. You may need a little water if it is too thick as it cooks. You could also defrost it in the microwave and heat it on HIGH till warmed through.