This black bean and beef chili is THE PERFECT chili for every fall and winter gathering, from tailgating and game days to snowy weekend meals with friends.

With fall on the doorstep, the morning temperatures here have been dipping into the 30s and honestly, it’s been lovely! This weather has also got us craving (and I mean craving) cold-weather foods and I’m the first one to say, “Bring on the chili!”

Actually, when I was making up our menu for this week last Friday morning, I sort of had an epiphany when I realized, with my winter slippers already on and a hot cup of coffee sitting next to me, that it’s time for cozy weekend food again.

What an exciting moment in a fall-loving blogger’s life!

So this black bean and beef chili made it to the menu and the weather hasn’t disappointed us yet this week. It seems as if fall is the only season that “knows” it’s place here in New England – winter lasts well into spring, sometimes it feels like we miss spring and jump directly into summer, and winter often feels like it starts in November.

Fall: you’re right on time!

We made this black bean and beef chili once last winter and decided that it deserves a place of honor next to my turkey chili.

It’s really fantastic, for a beef chili. Believe it or not, this was our first beef chili recipe! It’s been one of Kyle’s long-standing, yet never-fulfilled requests, and I can assure you that he is a happy camper with this recipe!

I was mainly afraid of beef chili being too greasy but the use of very lean ground beef in this recipe remedies this issue. And that made me a very happy camper.

No Added Thickeners

What’s so cool about this recipe is that you’ll purée one can of the black beans with the tomatoes and this mixture will thicken the chili as it cooks.

So instead of a soupy chili that will dribble off of your spoon, this one is ends up thick and hearty without needing flour or cornstarch to give you a great consistency.

Spicy or Not Spicy: It’s Up to You!

This is one of those fantastic recipes where you can adjust the spiciness according to your preferences. Despite the inclusion of chipotle peppers and various types of chile powders, it’s fairly mild on the spicy scale.

You can ease the heat by skipping the chipotle peppers or increase it by adding an extra one. It’s up to you!

What To Serve with Beef Chili

Chili on its own is kind of boring, right? You NEED toppings and sides to make chili a well-rounded meal! Here are some of our favorite foods to serve with chili:

I can’t think of a better meal to welcome in my favorite season, and paired with a few scoopable Fritos, I’d say it’s pretty darn close to perfection.

Black Bean and Beef Chili

Name: Black Bean and Beef Chili
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients: 3 cans (14 - 15 oz each) black beans; 1 can (14 - 15 oz) diced tomatoes; 1 diced chipotle chili pepper (canned in adobo sauce) or a pinch of ground chipotle chile powder; 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 lb very lean ground beef (less than 10% fat); 1 medium red onion, very finely diced; 1 tbsp regular chili powder; 1 ½ tbsp ancho chile powder; Pinch ground chipotle chile powder; 2 ½ tsp ground cumin; 2 cups beef stock or 1 (15 oz) can beef broth; 2 tbsp tomato paste; Juice of ½ lime; ¼ cup cilantro, chopped; Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Black bean and beef chili will give you a terrific twist on regular beef chili. For the spicy-averse eaters in your life, this chili is full of flavor but low on the heat scale. It's one you'll want to make year after year!

Ingredients

3 cans (14 - 15 oz each) black beans
1 can (14 - 15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 diced chipotle chili pepper (canned in adobo sauce) or a pinch of ground chipotle chile powder
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb very lean ground beef (less than 10% fat)
1 medium red onion, very finely diced
1 tbsp regular chili powder
1 ½ tbsp ancho chile powder
Pinch ground chipotle chile powder
2 ½ tsp ground cumin
2 cups beef stock or 1 (15 oz) can beef broth
2 tbsp tomato paste
Juice of ½ lime
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Drain 2 cans black beans into colander and rinse well, until no more foam appears. Let beans drain while you use a food processor to puree the third can of undrained beans, diced tomatoes and liquid, and the diced chipotle chile pepper (or chipotle powder). Process the beans and tomatoes about 1 minute, until they are fairly smooth.
In bottom of heavy soup pot or large Dutch oven, heat 1 - 2 tsp olive oil and brown beef, using the back of the turner to break it into small pieces. Remove beef to bowl, then add a bit more olive oil and the onions. Lower heat a little and cook onions until they are softened but not starting to brown. Add all the chile powders and cumin and saute about 30 seconds.
Add beef stock, browned ground beef, pureed bean mixture, drained beans, and tomato paste and simmer over low heat, uncovered, 1 to 1 ½ hours. Stir the chili occasionally to prevent any sticking on the bottom of the pot. After 45 minutes, check the seasonings and add more chile powder, salt, and/or pepper as needed.
Just before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro and lime juice and cook about 5 minutes. Serve chili hot with toppings of your choice.

Notes

adapted from Fine Cooking via Kalyn's Kitchen

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