Hearty Chili

This ground beef chili is heavy on the aromatics. Two pounds of onions and up to six cloves of garlic go into the pot before anything else, building a sweet, savory base that carries the chili powder and oregano.

Kidney beans go in with their liquid, which adds body and starch to the broth. Combined with tomato paste and canned green chiles, the simmering liquid thickens into a rich, clingy sauce that coats the meat and beans without being soupy.

Twenty minutes of covered simmering is all it needs. The beef is already browned and the beans are pre-cooked from the can, so this is about melding flavors, not cooking things through.

Kitchen Tips

• Brown the ground beef in batches if your pot is small. Crowded meat steams instead of browning, and you lose that caramelized crust that adds depth.
• Sauté the onions until they’re genuinely soft before adding the beef. Two pounds of onion is a lot, but they cook down dramatically and become sweet.
• Include the kidney bean liquid. Draining it means losing the starch that naturally thickens the chili as it simmers.
• If the chili gets too thick during simmering, add water a splash at a time. It should be thick enough to mound on a spoon but not stiff.

Variations

• Add a can of diced tomatoes with the beans for a chunkier, more tomatoey chili.
• Stir in a tablespoon of cumin for a deeper, earthier spice profile.
• Top with sour cream, shredded cheddar, and sliced scallions for a loaded bowl.