Easy One Pot Chili with Black Beans
Fall isn’t the only time to make chili, but it sure is a great time to make it. The rich tomato broth, the ground beef, the kidney beans and black beans, and the spice….oh the spices. There are kind of a lot of spices in this recipe, but they really add some amazing flavor. Plus my secret ingredient, cocoa powder. Give it a chance, I think you’ll find you love it.
Chili con carne, or ‘chili’ as we know it, is a spicy stew made with meat, chilis and spices, kidney beans and stewed tomatoes. Originating in Texas/Mexico since at least the 1800’s, chili is a popular stew at plenty of backyard barbecues and community cook-offs. It is infinitely customizable beyond just the basics, but it is always good to have a basic chili recipe in your back pocket, and I believe this recipe can be yours.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef I like to use a higher fat beef, but you can use what you like.
- Poblano Pepper I love poblano pepper. It has a smoky flavor that goes really well in chili.
- Onion I used red onion, but you can use any onion you like.
- Garlic Imparts a sweet, buttery flavor when cooked.
- Chili Pepper Adds the heat chili is known for, but you can omit if you don’t like spicy food.
- Kidney and Black Beans The hallmark of chili, kidney beans are normally used, but I love black beans and added these as well. They impart a different flavor than just using kidney beans.
- Crushed Tomatoes In addition to the tomato sauce, they add to the rich, tomato flavor.
- Tomato Sauce The base of the stew, tomato sauce adds the base flavor to the chili.
- Broth I used vegetable broth, but you can use chicken or beef as well. I look for broth with low sodium.
- Spices Cocoa powder, chili powder, cumin, cloves, paprika, cinnamon, and sumac.
How to Make One Pot Chili with Black Beans
Step One Chop the poblano, onion, and chili pepper. Press the garlic.
Step Two Into a large stock pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the poblano pepper and saute for a few minutes. You want to soften it a bit before you add the onions. The poblano has a thick skin and takes longer to soften than the onions. Add the onion after a few minutes of sauteeing the poblano.
Step Three Saute the onions for a few minutes until they are soft. Then, add the ground beef and cook through, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks. Drain the beans, rinsing them off if desired to help remove the sodium. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the bean juice. You will add this to the chili later, it helps thicken the chili.
Step Four Once the ground beef has cooked through, add the broth, beans, 2 tablespoons bean juice tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and spices. Mix to combine everything.
Step Five Let the chili simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring intermittently, scraping the bottom to be sure nothing sticks.
Step Six Enjoy hot, topped with shredded cheese, chopped onion, crushed corn chips, and or sour cream. Serve with a crusty bread, such as my Pan Cubano or my Focaccia bread.
Why I Love This Recipe
How does it taste? So much flavor is in this dish. The main flavors that pop out are the rich tomato broth, the spices and the heat from the chilis.
How does it smell? The strong smell of cumin. cloves and cinnamon mingle with the scent of the tomato sauce, creating a delicious, irresistible scent. You won’t have to call anyone down for dinner, they’ll come on their own.
Is it easy to make? Cooking all in one pot, the hardest thing you’ll have to do is open the cans. One pot means less clean up. Can’t go wrong with that.
Would I make it again? Absolutely! It will be a staple in my house during the cold winter months.
Recipe Notes
You can store chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days for best flavor.
Yes, you can freeze chili. Once chili is fully cooled, transfer to air tight freezer safe containers. Freeze for up to three months. If using freezer bags, freeze in single layers until frozen through, they you may stack them. You may like to freeze chili in small batches so you do not have to thaw it all out at once if you just want a few servings of chili. To reheat, thaw out in the refrigerator overnight, transfer to a bowl and pop it in the microwave for a few minutes. Likewise, you can reheat it on the stove for about 20 minutes when reheating a larger amount, and less time if you are reheating a smaller amount.
I recommend rinsing the beans before adding them to the chili. This does two things: the liquid has a lot of sodium in it and I try to reduce the sodium as much as possible by rinsing off the beans; it reduces the amount of liquid in the chili, thus helping it to be thicker.
I really think that is up to you. Although chili is more of a stew rather than a soup, some chili is thicker than others. This chili is neither too thin nor very thick. It doesn’t have a long simmer time, but it’s long enough to get the job done without taking all night. This is definitely a chili you can get on the table in under an hour. If you would like to simmer for longer, that is perfectly fine.
Other Recipes to Try
White Chicken Chili with Poblano
Leftover Carnitas Soup with Black Beans
One Pot Chili with Black Beans
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 cup diced onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 15 ounce can of kidney beans
- 15 ounce can of black beans
- 28 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 2 cups broth (chicken, veggie or beef)
- 15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 chili pepper (jalapeno, serrano)
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
Instructions
- Chop up the poblano, hot pepper, and onion. Press the garlic. If you don't have a garlic press, then chop it into small pieces.
- To a large stock pot, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil. Add the poblano pepper to the pot first. It takes longer for them to soften up than the onion. Saute for a few minutes, then add the onions. Add the ground beef after about a minute.
- Cook the ground beef through, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks. I like to use the higher-fat ground beef, which means I also have to remove some of the fat from the pan. I just tilt the pan a bit and spoon out some of the grease with a large serving spoon.
- Before adding the beans to the chili, rinse them in a strainer to remove some salt. I buy low-sodium beans, but I still like to rinse the beans off to remove as much excess salt as possible. You don't have to do this, it is just something I like to do. Reserve about two tablespoons of the bean juice to add to the chili to help thicken it.
- Once the ground beef has cooked through, add the 2 cups of broth, black and kidney beans, tomato sauce, hot pepper, garlic, and spices. Mix to incorporate.
- Let the chili simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. Smash a few of the beans on the side of the pot and stir back into the chili. This helps to thicken the chili.
- Serve hot and enjoy! Add shredded cheese, sour cream, diced onions, or crushed corn chips if desired.
Notes
- Use low-sodium beans and broth, if desired. I try to reduce the sodium whenever I can. I also rinse the beans before I use them.
- This recipe is a bit spicy; if you don’t like spicy, reduce the amount of chili powder and chili pepper in this recipe.
- Store unused chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freeze chili in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to three months for best results. Thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to eat. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
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