Easy Homemade Chili Recipe

Easy Homemade Chili recipe is made with ground turkey, black beans and kidney beans, and chili spices! Make on stovetop or in the slow cooker! 

Friends, just in time for fall and winter hosting, serve a big pot of chili. This is one of the easiest meals for entertaining, and if kids are coming? This hearty Easy Homemade Chili recipe is a big party hit every time! It’s great for big kids and little kids! WATCH THE VIDEO!

Easy Homemade Chili Recipe

Many times, for a large party an EPIC Chili Dinner Board! You can add hot crunchy bread or cornbread with butter, and all your favorite chili toppings. 

This Easy Homemade Chili recipe is filled with hearty ground turkey, but you can also use ground beef. We add our favorite beans (black beand and kidney beans), tomatoes, and the perfect blend of spices. Oh, and did you know you can make your own homemade chili powder?

Ingredients for Easy Homemade Chili

The secret to good flavor is adding onion. I know, kids don’t really like onions, but I say either grate them, or chop finely, because they’ll never know! I promise!

• Large white onion
• Olive oil
• Ground turkey
• Crushed tomatoes
• Red kidney beans + black beans
• Cumin + chili powder + paprika
• Garlic powder
• Salt + black pepper

How do you make good homemade chili?

1. In an 8 quart stockpot, add the olive oil, and saute the onions until translucent. Add the ground turkey to the onions and cook until browned. (Drain fat only if you are substituting the ground turkey for ground beef).
2. Next add the tomatoes, beans, and all the spices and stir.
3. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
4. Serve with your favorite toppings, like cheese, sour cream, chips, salsa, green onions, avocado, chopped tomatoes.

Why hosting with a pot of chili is so easy

When it comes to having people over for a casual meal, I want to help you move past all of these obstacles and excuses you may have. Like, I’m not a good cook. My house isn’t big enough. The schedule is too packed to get a date on the calendar, etc.

There’s always a little stress in hosting, friends, because it takes intention, investment, and time. But it’s so worth it!

If you have a table, and you can pull up enough mix-and-matched chairs, or even add an extra table, then you’re set.

You can use cloth napkins (I have stacks that I’ve used for years. I wash them over and over again :) Or, you can use paper napkins.

The secret to hosting is to make that invite. Don’t plan on perfection. Serve one easy recipe, and let your guests bring the rest.

Delegate a chili menu

In this case, I made this Easy Homemade Chili, and our guests brought the rest of the menu. You can’t make it more streamlined than that!

Easy Homemade Chili (me)
Giant Salad (guests)
Bread and wine (guests)
Ice cream (because it’s easy) (me) OR … if you have time, make my Homemade Chocolate Fudge Brownies!

Chili is the perfect casual dinner

Homemade Chili, while it may feel a little casual, is the perfect meal to serve a family who is coming over. It’s easy, tasty, and with the right toppings, everyone can “make their own” and enjoy the flavors the way they like it.

Since we moved to central Oregon, I’ve really enjoyed more casual hosting. 

Don’t forget a “chips and dip board” is really delicious for serving alongside a big pot of chili, too, if you want to skip the bread or cornbread.

Toppings to serve with chili

Chili is all about the toppings! Here are some options to add to your chili spread:

• Fritos
• Chips and salsa board
• Cornbread
• Quinoa
• Brown rice
• Avocados
• Trader Joe’s Corn Salsa
• Grated cheese
• Sour cream
• Chopped green onions
• Pickled jalapeños

Tips and substitutions:

Try my quick and easy Instant Pot Mango Chicken Chili, if you love your instant pot.

Substitute the ground turkey for ground beef.

Mix up the beans. You can use canned chili beans, white beans, pinto beans, or white kidney beans.

Use the slow cooker method for this recipe. Cook the onions, meat, and add the spices.

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on LO HEAT for 4 hours.

You may also want to try One Pot Chili Mac & Cheese or White Chicken Chili Recipe.

What do you do with leftover chili? Make Leftover Chili Pot Pie!

ENJOY!

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Get the Recipe:

Easy Homemade Chili Recipe

Halve the recipe to serve 6-8 guests.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Yield: 12

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 1 large white onion, or 2 small, finely chopped or grated
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 lbs. ground turkey
• 2 29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 2 14 oz. cans red kidney beans, with liquid
• 2 14 oz. can black beans, with liquid
• 3 Tbsp. cumin
• 3 Tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• 2 tsp. paprika

Instructions

 

• In an 8 quart stockpot, add the olive oil, and saute the onions for 5-7 minutes until translucent. Add the ground turkey to the onions and cook until browned, for about 5 minutes. (Drain fat only if you are substituting the ground turkey for ground beef.)
• To the meat mixture add the tomatoes, beans, and all the spices. Stir thoroughly.
• Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
• Serve with your favorite toppings (cheese, sour cream, chips, salsa, green onions, avocado, chopped tomatoes, etc.)

Notes

Slow Cooker Instructions: Cook onions and brown ground turkey, add all the other ingredients, and cook 3-4 hours on LOW heat.

Reposted from February 2019.

Cuisine: American

Course: Main Course

Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer

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