The Best Sunday Chili

This is the BEST Sunday Chili! Beef, bacon, tomatoes, chopped veggies, beans, and spices – it’s a cozy weather weekend essential!

It’s thick and appropriately chunky, spicy and extremely flavorful without being hot, balanced just right between meat, beans, and vegetables, and excellently scoopable (what else is chili for, really).

And not to mention it does that chili magic thing where it GETS BETTER AS LEFTOVERS. 

There’s just something about a slow-simmered chili on a Sunday that’s chock-full of cozy goodness.

We have a really simple and delicious ingredient list for you. 

• Ground beef
• Bacon
• Jalapeño pepper, onion, and garlic
• Carrots (if you want)
• Spices
• Crushed tomatoes and tomato paste
• Beans (black beans and pinto beans are great, or you can also add kidney beans)
• Broth

Easy ingredients, the perfect balance of flavors, and all ready to simmer away.

Here we go – let’s cook!

1. Crisp the Bacon: Very important step here – make an extra slice of bacon to crisp up and munch on while the rest of the chili cooks. This is essential. 
2. Sauté Veggies: Save that bacon grease in the pan and plop your chopped veggies right in there. Your onions, your garlic, your carrots, your jalapeño – all of that goes in the pot. Also, hot tip alert. Take a look at all the ways to cut an onion (without crying).
3. Cook The Beef with Your Spices: Ooooo! Things are smelling really good!
4. Add Beans and Liquid: Toss in the tomato paste, tomatoes, beans, broth, and crispy bacon bits (you know, the ones you have left at least after snacking).
5. Let it Simmer: Give things a stir, cover the pot, turn the heat down to a low simmer, and go grab a magazine and a glass of wine. Or maybe more realistically in your household, unload the school backpacks, fold the laundry, and listen to the dog bark at a random squirrel in the yard because dinner is pretty much cooking itself at this point. 

Scoop these big flavors into a bowl, get your toppings together (maybe cilantro, probably avocado, definitely chips!) and let’s gooooo! 

The bacon! Did the bacon get mentioned yet?! You need it. It’s crispy, and smoky, and provides just the right amount of surprise. Plus, bonus! You can just sauté your veg right up in that bacon grease. 

Bless it.

Plus, spices! It’s all in the spices here, friends. Use really fresh spices. Just trust! Go into your kitchen cabinet or spice drawer right now and make sure you don’t have any spices that you’re still using that are from 1986 because, yes, the hairstyles were boppin’, but no, your spices are most definitely not still boppin’ from then. We’re using chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt, which are such kitchen staples that you’ll go through them really quickly.