• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Living Lou

Simple, fresh and flavorful recipes.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Contact
    • Work with me
    • Press & Media
    • Send me a Message
  • About

Home » Dinner Recipes » Dutch Oven Chili

Dutch Oven Chili

Published: Nov 17, 2022 by Louisa Clements · This post may contain affiliate links

This post may contain affiliate links

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
Jump to Recipe
45 minutes 1 Comment

This Dutch oven chili is a hearty and delicious chili made with ground beef, beans, sweet potato, bell pepper and corn, this chili is loaded with veggies and flavour. Plus, it’s ready in under 45 minutes, making it doable for a weeknight dinner.

Chili in a turquoise dutch oven with a wooden spoon.

There are few winter dishes that I love more than chili. It’s such a comfort food for me! There are so many ways to make a chili, but for me, it always starts in my Dutch oven (I have a 5.5qt Le Creuset that I bought as a gift to myself a couple of years ago).

I often go for the classic recipe here, but I also love to make a turkey and white bean chili or vegetarian chili.

Why this recipe works

This recipe has everything you want in a chili, it’s made with ground beef but has enough vegetables that you won’t feel like you need another veggie side. There are a couple of secrets to this recipe and one of them is my homemade chili seasoning.

Ingredients for chili recipe.

Ingredients you’ll need

  • I tend to use olive oil for most of my recipes, but you could also use canola oil.
  • It starts by sautéing two onions.
  • For the meat I use ground beef, but I’ve absolutely made this recipe with ground pork or ground turkey in the past.
  • For the homemade chili seasoning I use a combination of chili powder, cumin, Montreal steak spice, coriander, and salt.
  • For heat I add a jalapeno, you could leave this out if you aren’t a fan of spice or double it if you want a spicier dish.
  • Garlic is a staple.
  • For the liquid elements, I use a can of diced tomatoes and a can of crushed tomatoes.
  • Since I love to pack my chili with vegetables, I add a sweet potato and red bell pepper. These also help to add sweetness and balance the dish.
  • Corn helps to brighten the dish and add additional sweetness.
  • I love beans in my chili and grew up with kidney beans, but you could also use black beans, or white beans.
A serving of chili in a white bowl with avocado, cheddar cheese and cilantro on top.

Expert tips

  1. Use broth to thin it out. If the chili ends up being too thick, you can always thin it out with some beef broth.
  2. Freeze the leftovers. This is one of the dishes that freezes really well. I like to freeze half of it in a freezer bag, flatten the bag before adding to the freezer and it will take up very little space.
  3. It actually tastes better the next day, so this is the kind of dish that works perfectly for prepping ahead.
  4. My secret ingredient is Montreal steak spice, it’s one of the best spic rubs for any kind of beef, so it makes perfect sense to add to a chili.
First four steps for making the chili. Browning onions and beef, adding spices and adding the tomatoes.

Step by step instructions

  1. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly translucent. Add ground beef, cook, and crumble until almost fully cooked about 5 minutes. The beef isn’t going to caramelize, but it will brown slightly.
  2. Add garlic, jalapeño, chili powder, cumin, steak spice, coriander and salt. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes.
Final steps, adding the vegetables to the Dutch oven and adding the beans and corn.
  1. Bring to a simmer, add bell pepper and sweet potatoes. Cook, covered for 15 minutes.
  2. Add beans and corn, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Topping ideas

The toppings are a huge part of a delicious dish! My go to’s are:

  • Grated cheddar cheese
  • Sour cream
  • Cilantro
  • Avocado
  • Pickled jalapenos
  • Sliced green onions
Closeup of chili in a turquoise Dutch oven.

Serving suggestions

Name a better side dish to go with chili than cheesy garlic bread! I also love to serve a big salad like a kale and avocado salad.

Closeup of chili in a turquoise Dutch oven.

Dutch Oven Chili

Author: Louisa Clements
4.20 from 5 votes
This Dutch oven chili is a hearty and delicious chili made with ground beef, beans, sweet potato, bell pepper and corn, this chili is loaded with veggies and flavour. Plus, it’s ready in under 45 minutes, making it doable for a weeknight dinner.
Pin Print
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
servings icon
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 454 g / 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp Montreal steak spice
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 796- mL / 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 796- mL / 28-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium sweet potato, cut into ½″ cubes
  • 540- mL / 19-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 341- mL / 12-oz can corn kernels, drained

Optional toppings:

  • 1 avocado, diced
  • ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions

  • In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly translucent. Add ground beef, cook, and crumble until browned and almost fully cooked about 5 minutes.
  • Add garlic, jalapeño, chili powder, cumin, steak spice, coriander and salt. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes.
  • Bring to a simmer, add bell pepper and sweet potatoes. Cook, covered for 15 minutes.
  • Add beans and corn, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Notes

  1. If you like a thinner chili, you can use broth to thin it out. You could also add some beer!
  2.  To freeze the leftovers. Transfer cooled chili to a large freezer bag, and seal completely, removing as much air as possible. Flatten into an even sheet, and freeze. 
  3. If you’re able to wait, the chili gets better the next day!
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + rating and let me know what you think!
Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, easy, Fall, gluten free, meat, stew, Winter
Nutrition Facts
Dutch Oven Chili
Amount Per Serving
Calories 453 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Trans Fat 0.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 9g
Cholesterol 56mg19%
Sodium 980mg43%
Potassium 1618mg46%
Carbohydrates 49g16%
Fiber 14g58%
Sugar 17g19%
Protein 29g58%
Vitamin A 7061IU141%
Vitamin C 62mg75%
Calcium 263mg26%
Iron 8mg44%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any specific dietary concerns, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Let me know if you give this beef and beer chili a try in the comments below.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Rate this recipe: ☆☆☆☆☆

Comments

  1. Shirley Clements

    October 09, 2020 at 10:02 pm

    I will be making this recipe very soon! It looks & sounds soooo yummy!
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Lou!

Hi, I'm Louisa Clements & welcome to Living Lou. I've been creating simple, fresh & flavorful recipes for the modern kitchen for 12 years.
Learn More

Let’s connect

Living Lou

Copyright © 2023 Living Lou | Privacy

  • Home
  • All Recipes
  • Contact
  • About

Footer