Why you’re going to love this dutch oven chili
- Rich and cozy chili is a must for Fall and Winter!
- The perfect family friendly recipe that you can customize with everyone’s favorite toppings and some of our gluten free and grain free cornbread.
- It’s excellent for meal prep and is also freezer friendly.
- The combo of bacon and ground beef with the poblano peppers and seasoning is perfectly savory and smoky with a hit of sweet.
Related ->> Check out this Classic, Old Fashioned Dutch Oven Beef Stew!
How to make dutch oven chili (step-by-step)
Ingredient notes
- Ground beef – you can easily use another meat if you prefer, like ground turkey, chicken or pork.
- Beans – kidney and pinto beans are pretty standard chili beans, but you could also use black beans or really whatever your favorite beans are. Lentils would be good, too!
- Poblano peppers – they’re great because they contribute to the smoky flavor, but you could switch things up with spicy peppers for more heat or bell peppers if that’s what you have on hand.
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
Don’t forget to leave a quick star rating and review below, we read every comment and truly appreciate your feedback. Also, be sure to browse the rest of our easy, delicious recipes to find some other favorites too!
Smoky Dutch Oven Chili with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 6 pieces bacon, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 poblano peppers, stem and seeds removed and diced, (can sub one large bell pepper)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 28 oz canned diced (or crushed) tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can pinto beans
- 1 15 oz kidney beans
- 1 cup beef broth
For the chili seasoning:
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar, (omit for Whole30)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp chipotle powder, (spicy, optional)
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
For serving/topping (optional):
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- diced onions
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Instructions
- Dice the bacon. Heat a 5 or 6-quart dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon to cook. Cook stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until the bacon is browned.
- While the bacon is cooking, prep the garlic, onion, and peppers as noted.
- When the bacon is browned, add in the garlic, onion, peppers and ground beef. Break the beef into small chunks and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned, about 7-8 minutes.
- While the beef is cooking, make the chili seasoning by combining the seasoning in a small bowl and mixing. Gather the remaining ingredients.
- Once the beef is browned, add in the chili seasoning and stir to incorporate.
- Then, add in the canned tomatoes, pinto beans, kidney beans, and beef broth. Stir to mix.
- Turn the heat up and bring the chili to a quick boil. Then, turn the heat down to low to simmer. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Ladle into bowls and add any optional toppings as desired. Enjoy.
This chili is delicious! This spice blend is spot on. Lots of flavor. It is not very spicy but loads of flavor! (I made it exactly as the recipe calls for on spice amounts. Your spicy level might be different than mine.). I will for sure make this again!
Happy to hear that Christy, thanks for coming back to leave a review 🙂