This is the BEST Sunday Chili! Beef, bacon, tomatoes, chopped veggies, beans, and spices – it’s a cozy weather weekend essential!
Sunday Chili
RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU LOVE CHILI!
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Thanks for this recipe! I’ve been making chili for years and this is the best one yet, and now my go-to! As a matter of fact, it’s on the stove now;)
Here’s the thing – I do love chili. But here’s the other thing – I’m kind of picky about chili. I like chili that is:
- Thick! Mega thick.
- Chunky, but small, even chunks – no huge pieces of tomato, please.
- Spicy, but not like fire-in-your-mouth spicy. Just the cozy, warming, winter afternoon kind of spicy.
- Beany in moderation. I want to know that the beans are there, but not be thinking about beans with every bite.
So… with that, I’d like to introduce you to my new favorite Sunday Chili.
In This Post: Everything You Need For The Best Chili Recipe
- Watch How to Make Sunday Chili
- What to Love About This Chili
- Ingredients in Sunday Chili
- Let’s Get Cooking
- The Secret Ingredient That Makes Chili So Good
- Thick or Thin Chili
- Perfect Chili Toppings
- What Goes Well with Chili
- Freeze Any Leftovers
- Sunday Chili: Frequently Asked Questions
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
What I Love About This Homemade Chili
It’s thick and appropriately chunky, spicy and extremely flavorful without being hot, balanced just right between meat, beans, and vegetables, and excellently scoopable (what else is chili for, really).
And not to mention it does that chili magic thing where it GETS BETTER AS LEFTOVERS.
What Deliciousness Is Stewing In This?
We have a really simple and delicious ingredient list for you.
- Ground beef
- Bacon
- Jalapeño pepper, onion, and garlic
- Carrots (if you want)
- Spices
- Crushed tomatoes and tomato paste
- Beans (black beans and pinto beans are great, or you can also add kidney beans)
- Broth
Let’s Get Cooking!
We’re going to start by getting those bacon slices nice and crisped up. Very important step here – make an extra slice of bacon to crisp up and munch on while the rest of the chili cooks. This is essential.
Now, save that bacon grease in the pan and plop your chopped veggies right in there. Your onions, your garlic, your carrots, your jalapeño – all of that goes in the pot.
Next, add in your ground beef and spices. Ooooo! Things are smelling really good!
Toss in the tomato paste, tomatoes, beans, broth, and crispy bacon bits (you know, the ones you have left at least after snacking). Give things a stir, cover the pot, turn the heat down to a low simmer, and go grab a magazine and a glass of wine. Or maybe more realistically in your household, unload the school backpacks, fold the laundry, and listen to the dog bark at a random squirrel in the yard because dinner is pretty much cooking itself at this point.
Scoop these big flavors into a bowl, get your toppings together (maybe cilantro, probably avocado, definitely chips!) and let’s gooooo!
The Secret Ingredient To Make This So Good
The bacon! Did the bacon get mentioned yet?! You need it. It’s crispy, and smoky, and provides just the right amount of surprise. Plus, bonus! You can just sauté your veg right up in that bacon grease.
Bless it.
Plus, spices! It’s all in the spices here, friends. Use really fresh spices. Just trust! Go into your kitchen cabinet or spice drawer right now and make sure you don’t have any spices that you’re still using that are from 1986 because, yes, the hairstyles were boppin’, but no, your spices are most definitely not still boppin’ from then. We’re using chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt, which are such kitchen staples that you’ll go through them really quickly.
Thick Or Thin? Your Choice!
Either beef broth or chicken broth will be perfect here for the liquid in this chili. Low-sodium broth can work in a pinch if that’s what you have on hand – just add a bit more salt to balance everything out. Personally, thick chili is the way to go IMO, but just add a bit more broth if you need to thin it out.
All About The Toppings
The toppings – do we even need to discuss? – are a heavenly salad bar of possibilities. Avocado, cotjia cheese, cheddar cheese, cilantro, green onion, red onion, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, crumbled cornbread, Fritos if you’re classy… yes, yes, and yes.
What Goes Well with Chili
As you know, I’m currently obsessed with one-ingredient socca, and I think the golden/crispy/bready texture makes it a great dipper with this chili. But there’s always the miracle no-knead bread for something a little more crusty, hot, buttery, and traditional, a classic cornbread situation, or good ol’ tortilla chips for a little crunch. Or maybe you want to slice a baked potato open and stuff a bunch of chili inside? We would wholeheartedly approve of this decision.
Freeze Any Leftovers
Okay, wait. You have leftovers? But how?! While we don’t fully understand how you have extras of the best chili ever (!), good news is this chili freezes wonderfully! Plop everything in a freezer-safe container or bag and toss it in the freezer to be thawed at a later time. Your future self will thank you for leaving such an incredibly delicious meal for a hectic weeknight.
This hearty, meaty, chunky, slow-simmered Sunday chili has BEEN THERE for me and it can be there for you, too.
Grab your toppings and your dippers and your biggest soup spoon.
Sunday + Chili + You = A Very Good Thing.
Sunday Chili: FAQs
Can I use diced tomatoes?
Sure! I really like using crushed tomatoes here, but you can also use canned diced tomatoes.
I have everything except bacon on hand. Will this work without bacon?
It will. The bacon is optional, but SUPER good! A faster alternative is skipping the bacon but sauteeing your veggies in reserved bacon fat – you keep bacon fat in your fridge, right?! TIME TO START.
Can I make this chili in the Instant Pot?
You sure can! See the recipe notes below for instructions.
Whew! Looks like a lot of veggies to chop. Any tips to speed this up?
Speedy tip coming your way! You can buy pre-chopped veggies or just chop all your veggies up in the food processor! Less precise, but super fast and easy.
Source notes: Chili recipes that helped me come up with this version: Oh Sweet Basil’s Instant Pot Chili and Pressure Cook Recipes Instant Pot Chili. (The last few weeks I started making a Sunday chili in the Instant Pot but realized I preferred a regular stovetop version better, which is how I got here!)
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Sunday Chili
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings (a generous 1 1/2 cups each) 1x
Description
This is the BEST Sunday Chili! Beef, bacon, tomatoes, chopped veggies, beans, and spices – it’s a cozy weather weekend essential!
Ingredients
Units
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- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
- half of an onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 4 carrots, minced (optional)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3–4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28–ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 2 14–ounce cans beans, rinsed and drained (I like black beans and pinto beans)
- 2 cups beef or chicken broth (plus more to thin as needed)
- toppings: avocado, cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, red onion, cilantro
Instructions
- Mix salt with ground beef. Set aside so it can get nice and salty while you prep the other ingredients. In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, fry your bacon pieces until crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plates. Pour off most of the bacon fat, but leave 1-2 tablespoons for sautéing.
- Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and carrots. Sauté until soft and fragrant.
- Add the ground beef and spices. Brown until fully cooked.
- Add the tomato paste. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, beans, broth, and bacon. Bring to a low simmer. Cover it and let it hang out over low heat for at least 30-45 minutes, but ideally 2+ hours (this helps the flavors develop and this is why it’s Sunday chili). You can alternate between keeping it over a low flame and just letting it rest in the hot pot. It will thicken, so use extra water or broth to thin it out to desired consistency.
- BOOM! Top with all your favorite toppings. Make plans to revisit this again next Sunday.
Equipment
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Notes
Instant Pot Instructions: Once everything is browned up, you can add it to the Instant Pot and pressure cook it for 20-30 minutes to concentrate the flavors in less time.
Slow Cooker Instructions: Once everything is browned up, you can add it to your crockpot on low for 3 hours. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chili recipe, beef chili with bacon, classic chili
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One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our coziest comfort food recipes page. Check it out!
October 1, 2021
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
This delicious chili has been a part of my “favorite recipe rotation” since it was posted here. It has everything you need. As a veggie lover, I love the addition of all the vegetables and it’s great for the meat lovers of the house too because the veggies don’t compromise the traditional chili flavor. It is such an incredibly easy, yet incredibly flavorful dish.
I usually omit the bacon because, honestly, I’m just too lazy for the bacon addition but even without it… *chefs kiss*
Can we use any other meat than beef? will it be good and delicious as beef?
For sure! Any ground meet will work!
I love this recipe – I make it a lot and it’s just me and my husband so we freeze leftovers in two-portion containers and it’s always delicious. That said, I don’t eat pork. I tried to replace bacon with turkey bacon and it didn’t do the job. I always just add a little extra oil and salt, but is there anything else you would recommend to replace the bacon?
We don’t have a great replacement for the bacon, so what you’ve been doing with extra oil and salt is a great a idea!
Aurora and Krista,
I don’t eat pork either but came across beef bacon at Whole Foods (some retailers online sell it as well) and it serves as a perfect replacement!
Glad to hear it, Chasity!
So easy and delicious! Had been wanting to try and make chili for a while, so glad I made this one!
5 stars! This chili is so good, it’s addictive. I married a Texan so we usually increase the ground beef to 2 lb, add a little more of the spices, and only add 1 can a beans. Any way you do it, it tastes wonderful!
It specifically says “Dutch oven”-would it be ok to cook this in a stainless steel pot? Also, is the bacon streaky or back bacon? Can’t wait to make this.
Yes, you can cook this in a stainless steel pot. For the bacon, I’m not super familiar with the difference, but I believe you’ll be looking for streaky bacon. Enjoy, Luna!
Pretty solid chili. I will make it again but I had to make some additions. It was fairly bland so I needed to add an additional teaspoon of salt. The recipe also didn’t call for sugar and you have to use sugar when cooking with this much tomatoes. I added some at the beginning and it needed more after it was done. The chili was also a but too soupy. Next time I’ll use about 3/4th of the liquid. Overall it was solid though.
This is my third time making this chili. I used peppered bacon that I cook in the oven first. We don’t care for onions so we leave them out and I just used onion powder instead. This is the best chili recipe.
Lindsay – you asked on FB about chili (beans or no). I can’t answer on fb, but I thought I’d write here. Funny chili story: I was in charge of the football parents at Northwestern (College) when you and all my boys were there. We did a get-together meal before every home game, and chili was a favorite every year. We would plan to combine our chilis into large kettles; however, families from different states made their chili differently. Some added noodles, some not, one put the chili over rice; some spicy, some not. We had so much fun with all the differences. Food is not just a great chance to gather, but a geographical/historical lesson. Love your blog 🙂
Made your Sunday Chili yesterday and it was fabulous. Never have I included bacon or carrots before in my chili and they added such a great flavor and consistency.
I plan to make more of your recipes. Thank you.
This is a great chili recipe and it has the added bonus of bacon for extra flavor. I always get lots of compliments whenever I take it or serve it to friends and family.
I usually substitute 2 stalks of celery for the 2 carrots and often substitute a bottle of pureed tomatoes for the chunky canned tomatoes. It doesn’t alter the texture or flavor one little bit. Try it — and you’ll be hooked.
Did you mean 2 tsp of cumin? I found 2 tbsp VERY overpowering!
extremely tasty and easy like my other Pinch of Yum favs!
It’s crazy! I get soooo hungry browsing this blog. Your images are soooooo real!!! I LOVE food too and this Monday Chili is going to be All Week Chili in my kitchen!
Thank you for having a veggie section!!!
I use plant based beef like Beyond Beef or Impossible meats and add Edward and Sons Not Beef or Not chicken bouillon. No one knows the difference! I even throw in some lentils for more fiber! A favorite in my home!
I also use Morningstar farms bacon! I fry it first and crumble it finely and add to the chili.
made this last night! SO GOOD. I did not have bacon so I left it out and it was still DEISH! Thanks again!!
Absolutely delicious! My husband and I both loved it. The smokeyness of the bacon adds something special. This will be our go to chili recipe from here on out!
I find that no matter how many times I try including cumin in my cooking I still don’t like the flavor. Do you have a lovely substitute that you would recommend?
We’d suggest leaving it out, or adding in more chili powder!
This chili is awesome. I’ve made many versions of chili over the years which I’ve pretty much loved them all, but my hubby has been meh on most chili, but it’s something to eat. He said this was the best chili I’ve ever made and my grown son stopped over and said pretty much the same. Thanks for the recipe.
My daughter has taken a sudden disliking to beef. Do you think I could substitute it for ground turkey, or would it lose too much richness of flavor? Thank you!
Ground turkey would be great!
Made your Sunday Chili yesterday and it was delicious!
Made enough for us to enjoy again another night.
Look forward to each of your soup series recipes. Thank You.
So glad you’ve been enjoying the soup series, Elizabeth!
Okay, this is the BEST chili I have ever made. I was always a wing-it girl when it comes to chili but following these instructions resulted in the best chili. So delicious. I didn’t have bacon so the next time will be even better!
So glad you enjoyed it, Kirsten!
Hi Lindsay,
I do not eat pork products. What will happen if I leave out the bacon? Or will a vegan alternative be acceptable? I don’t want to miss out on any yumminess! How about turkey bacon?
Rachel
Turkey bacon will work out just fine!
How spicy does this end up being? My husband and I love the heat but my 5 and 3 year old aren’t spicy fans and I want this to be something they eat too.
It’s not too spicy at all! Any heat would be coming from the jalapeno. You can reduce/eliminate the heat by making sure to scrape out the seeds and cut the thin white ribs from the jalapeno before mincing. You could even leave it out or sub in a bit of chopped green bell pepper too!
Yum! This is very close to my typical go to and I think I already like this better, same amazing flavor without unnecessary extras. Totally on the menu for Sunday ❤️
Enjoy!