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Robin Ward

🌶️ Best-Ever Shortcut Chili – Big Flavor. Zero Fuss.

Hearty, bold, and fast—this shortcut chili delivers big flavor and cozy comfort from pantry staples. Everyone loves it. You will too.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium yellow onion, (Minced, diced, chopped—whatever. I go coarse. It’s faster.)
  • 2 - 3 Tbsp olive oil (To coat the pan)
  • 2 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
  • 1 - 2 lbs. Ground chicken, beef, turkey, or pork—whatever you’ve got. (Use 2 lbs. for a meatier chili, 1 lb. if you want it saucier.)
  • ÂĽ cup ketchup (about 2 long squirts)
  • 24 to 28 (or thereabout) oz. tomato puree (Can, jar, or carton of whatever tomato stuff you like—chopped, crushed, strained, sauced, diced. Doesn’t matter. It works.)
  • 12 to 16 oz mild or medium hot jarred salsa
  • 1 to 2 cans pinto, black or any beans you like in chili (One or two cans of beans—pinto or whatever. I’ve done both. You choose your bean level. It works.)
  • 2 tsp hot sauce of choice (I used Cholula) (Give or take. Gauge your crowd. Adjust as needed.
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro, or more to taste (Cilantro—or parsley, if you’re one of those people. No judgment.)

Equipment

  • Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot

Method
 

  1. Coat the bottom of a Dutch oven or other large pot with olive oil and heat over medium. Once the oil is shimmering, sauté the garlic and onion in the oil until they're soft and translucent.
  2. Add the ground meat to the pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon as it browns. See notes section for an alternate method.
  3. Now dump in the beans, salsa, and tomato. Add the hot sauce and ketchup, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until reduced and the consistency of chili, minimum 15 minutes. If it looks too thick, add some water. Taste every so often and adjust the amount of heat, salt, and spices accordingly.
  4. Once it's done, throw in the cilantro. This chili will keep for a week of meals (with scrambled eggs for breakfast).

Notes

Want deeper browning? For step two: Push the onions to the side, add the meat and spices, and don’t stir. Let it brown on the bottom, 5 to 7 minutes. Then break it up and stir everything together.