Easy Black Bean and Beef Chili

This black bean and beef chili is a hearty, meaty, and thick dish with a unique kick from red wine. Made on the stovetop, this quick and delicious black bean chili with beef is a gluten-free, kid-friendly chili that’s packed with flavor. It’s one of the best chili recipes for easy dinner recipes and fall comfort food nights. Pin this yummy black bean recipe to have a healthy, old-fashioned chili ready whenever you need a cozy meal!

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This chili recipe couldn't be easier to put together. It simmers for an hour, but the prep is really quick. The finished chili is good, flavorful but not at all spicy, thanks to the addition of red wine.

Why this is the best easy black bean and beef chili recipe

This recipe is super simple with just a couple of easy steps. Brown the ground beef and onion, dump everything else together, and simmer for as long as possible. Even the most beginner cook can make this easy chili!

This is a simple recipe. It has more than 5 ingredients, but the ingredients are very common and easy to find. You probably already have them all in your pantry.

This chili tastes great. The list of ingredients is pretty long, but that means that this chili is packed with goodness - every single addition infuses a burst of flavor that you will miss if you leave it out.

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This is a healthy black bean chili recipe. It is made with whole, healthy, mostly unprocessed ingredients and nothing weird.

This soup is a whole meal. Because it has beans, corn, tomatoes, and ground beef, this soup hits enough food groups to qualify as a full meal. Plus, it's very hearty and filling, so you won't need more than one bowl. If you really wanted to add something, you could serve it with some cornbread or dinner rolls, and that would be plenty.

This recipe makes a TON of chili - perfect for football watching parties or winter get-togethers or to plan for leftovers later in the week or even to freeze for later when you need a quick meal.

This chili recipe is healthy. I use lean ground beef, veggies, and a blend of seasonings that skips the preservatives found in commercial chili packets. It has a lot of lean protein and a ton of fiber thanks to all those beans. Even the red wine is heart-healthy.

This recipe is allergy-friendly and good for special diets. As written, it's gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and soy-free. It's great for special diets, including keto, low-carb, and bariatric plans. As always, if you have specific dietary needs or an allergy, it's best to check the labels of your specific ingredients to ensure their safety.

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What you'll need to make the best black bean and beef chili

Equipment

• Garlic press - This is how you use fresh garlic. The press makes the garlic into a thick paste that is easy to distribute in the soup. If you don't have a garlic press, you can mince the garlic as small as possible with a sharp knife.
• Large Dutch oven - You need a large stockpot or Dutch oven to make this chili recipe because it makes a lot of soup.

Ingredients

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Ground beef - I use 90% lean but you can use whatever ground beef you want. For burgers, I would suggest meat no leaner than 85/15, but in this case, you're putting the meat in liquid, so it being dry from a lack of fat is not a concern.
• Chopped onions - I recommend sweet Vidalia onions, but you could use yellow onions instead.
• Fresh garlic - Fresh garlic is cheap and gives food an unmistakable flavor that you can't get with garlic powder or jarred garlic.
• Diced tomatoes with onions and garlic - The onion and garlic in the tomatoes give the chili a nice flavor. You could also use fire-roasted tomatoes with onions and garlic.
• Plain tomato sauce - This is the foundation of the chili.
• Red cooking wine - Someone once told me that you should cook with whatever wine you drink, instead of buying cooking wine which is usually a lower quality. It's up to you, although I would recommend cooking with a dry wine rather than a sweet wine.
• Dark chili powder - This is what makes your chili taste like chili.
• Ground cumin - You need cumin to bring an earthy note to the chili.
• Diced green chili peppers - Green chiles are slightly sweet and give the chili a light note.
• Black beans - It's black bean chili, right? But if you want to use another kind of bean, go right ahead.
• For garnish, you can use your favorite toppings, including sour cream or Greek yogurt, shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, or cheddar jack), sliced jalapeños (fresh or pickled), diced avocados, chopped fresh cilantro, and/or diced red onions

How to make easy black bean and beef chili

1. Brown the ground beef and onions in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Drain completely and rinse if desired.
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2. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to medium heat.
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3. Simmer uncovered for as long as possible, ideally 1 hour or longer, stirring occasionally. Simmering means that small bubbles are forming and popping in the soup, but it's not a full boil. You may need to adjust the heat to something between medium and medium-low heat to keep it at the right temperature.
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4. Taste the chili and season with salt and/or black pepper as needed.
5. Serve with Greek yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese.
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Variations and substitutions

You can really use any type of ground meat in this recipe, including ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or Italian sausage. It would be especially tasty with hot Italian sausage, I think.

This chili is not spicy. If you want spicy chili, add ground cayenne pepper to your taste. Start with a little and add slowly to avoid making your chili too spicy.

I like to put fire roasted diced tomatoes in my chili for a smoky flavor. You can use them in place of the diced tomatoes in the ingredients.

If you don't like red wine or would prefer to avoid it, you can use an equal amount of beef broth or beef stock in its place.

For a richer tomato flavor, feel free to add 6-12 ounces of tomato paste with the tomato sauce.

You can chop a green or red bell pepper and add that to the onions and ground beef.

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Serving black bean chili

We mixed our chili with rice and served it with cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt, but that's not the only serving option!

I think this chili would be great in a crockpot for a party or tailgate. You could use it as a topping for air fryer baked potatoes, hot dogs, or burgers.

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You could also cube half of a block of Velveeta's pepper jack cheese, stir it in, microwave it, and mix up a cheesy dip for veggies or tortilla chips. I'd keep that one in the slow cooker, too, to keep it warm and melty.

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Storage

Transfer fully cooled leftovers to an airtight container then store in the fridge for up to five days. To serve chilled chili, you can reheat in the microwave or on the stove until hot and bubbly.

Black bean and beef chili freezes well, too. Transfer cooled casserole to a freezer container or freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. I really like Souper Cubes for recipes like this one because they allow me to freeze the chili in individual-sized portions. (They intend for you to store the frozen food in their containers in the freezer, but I prefer to remove them and store them in a freezer bag and re-use the container to freeze something else. This way, I don't need 15 sets of Souper Cubes and can use just one of each size.)

To serve frozen chili, move it to the refrigerator overnight then heat as described above.

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Try these other delicious soup recipes:

• Taste of Home Cheeseburger Soup - This is the stovetop recipe.
• Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup - This is the same recipe as above, but adapted to the CrockPot.
• Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
• World's Best Chili with Bacon
• Zuppa Toscana - Creamy Italian Sausage and Potato Soup
• Cheesy Vegetable Soup
• Slow Cooker Potato Soup
• Crockpot Corn Chowder
• Simple & Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
• Hot and Sour Soup - Uses ingredients found in a traditional grocery store
• Crockpot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
• Easy Black Bean and Beef Chili
• Gluten-Free White Chicken Chili - Stovetop and CrockPot instructions included
• Green Chili Chicken Soup - Stovetop and CrockPot instructions
• Black Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

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