Cold Weather Dinner - Hearty Chili with Beef & Beans

When I was growing up, mom always made chili in the winter and it was one of my favorite meals!  I decided to take a page from her book and make the most of this insanely cold weather by making a pot of Beef & Bean Chili!  Chili is so easy to make and so warming and flavorful…make a little extra to put in the freezer to pull out on a busy night!  

Start by sautéing onion with jalapeño peppers, red peppers and garlic.  Add your ground beef and spices, Worcestershire sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, kidney beans and bay leaves.  Let the mixture simmer for about an hour to let the flavors meld together and serve with toppings in little bowls so everyone can create their own flavor combination!  Add a delicious salad and some warm crusty bread…this meal feels like a big hug…it’s so good!  

Feel free to substitute other beans in this recipe. You could use a combination of black beans and kidney beans that would be fabulous! You could also use a combination of Italian sausage and ground chuck and add some crushed red pepper at the end…as always make this recipe your own!

The longer this chili simmers, the better the flavors get and it’s also so delicious the next day and freezes well! For the toppings, I used avocado, grated cheese, crispy tortilla strips, scallions and sour cream…the more toppings, the better!

I’m a collector of little bowls (among other things) and I used a variety of my little blue bowls to serve the toppings. I set out a big round mat (I’ve had it forever), added different sized cutting boards and displayed everything that way. I served the soup right from the pot it was cooked in (my Le Creuset) and the gorgeous brown bowls are from Haand. Don’t forget that I have a 15% discount code (CRAZYBLOONDELIFE) if you want to shop!

This chili would be great to serve for a Super Bowl party along with a few other delicious snacks! I just happen to have another great recipe coming so stay tuned! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and I hope you make the chili! Let me know!

We are definitely in the middle of cozy season (I’m trying to be positive here) and anything warming is welcome! Below, you’ll find a few things that I’m using to stay warm until Spring arrives! I’m trying to make the most of this crazy cold snap we’re having…