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Secret Ingredient Makes This The Best Chili Recipe

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The Best Chili Recipe will change the way you make chili from now on. It has a secret ingredient that takes this dish to the next level. It’s easy to make and makes enough for a crowd.

The Best Chili Recipe Why isn’t chili called soup or stew? Chili is chili and that’s just the way it goes. There are probably as many chili varieties as there are the people who make it. Once you make the Best Chili Recipe, it will become your favorite chili!

The Best Chili Recipe Growing up chili was always tomato based and made with ground beef. These days there is tomato-based or white chili, beef, chicken or vegetarian. You can have as many varieties as there is imagination. One thing that sets people against one variety versus another is whether it’s beans or no beans.

The Best Chili RecipeThe chili my mother made included tomato juice and the spice packet from the store. I loved it. That is until I tried this chili at a party we attended years ago. The recipe is still written on a scrap of paper and doesn’t have a name but it’s The Best Chili recipe I’ve ever had.

[clickToTweet tweet=”The Best Chili Recipe is the only chili you’ll ever want to make! #Chili #recipe” quote=”The Best Chili Recipe is the only chili recipe you’ll ever want to make!”]

The Best Chili Recipe I’ve entered it into our neighborhood chili contest and it won every time. There aren’t any contests now. I make this chili and we all eat it. It makes such a large batch that I put some in my freezer. It’s like money in the bank. When I don’t want to cook I know I have some chili just waiting for me.

Oh and the secret ingredient is…..that 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard. Believe it or not, it’s a game changer. A friend of mine said she doesn’t like yellow mustard but after making this has a bottle in her fridge just for this recipe.

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5 from 6 votes

The Best Chili Recipe

The Best Chili Recipe will change the way you make chili from now on. It has a secret ingredient that takes this dish to the next level. It's easy to make and makes enough for a crowd.
Course Main, Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Servings 32 servings
Author Hostess At Heart

Ingredients

  • 6 lbs ground beef
  • 3 quarts stewed tomatoes 6-9 cans**
  • 2 quarts tomato juice
  • 2 cans Mrs Grimes Hot Chili Beans
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 green pepper diced
  • 1/2 bottle ketchup 7 oz total
  • 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
  • 1/2 cup Chili Powder to taste or more if you like spice

Instructions

  • In a large skillet or dutch oven, brown hamburger with onion and yellow mustard. Brown in batches if necessary. Drain excess grease.
  • Combine meat and all of the remaining ingredients in a large stockpot.
  • Simmer until all flavors are combined.

Notes

**I process the stewed tomatoes to remove the large pieces. ***I allow my chili to simmer until I can no longer detect any flavor from the cans. 30 minutes to several hours, whatever time you have. ****Chili may be frozen in reclosable bags or airtight containers.

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 560mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 8.7% | Vitamin C: 25.5% | Calcium: 5.3% | Iron: 17.3%
Tried this recipe? That's awesome!Mention @hostessatheart or tag #hostessatheart!

  Maybe I didn’t really win the neighborhood contest but the neighbors like the idea of me making this chili each year and I don’t mind sharing.

Still looking for great soup recipes? Check these out!

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Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili is a warm and filling dish that's packed with protein, delicious ingredients, and no guilt! | HostessAtHeart.com

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This Lentil Sausage Soup recipe is a delicious high protein soup that takes less than an hour to make but tastes like it took all day. | HostessAtHeart.com

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The Best Chili Recipe will change the way you make chili from now on. It has a secret ingredient that takes this dish to the next level. It's easy to make and makes enough for a crowd | HostessAtHeart.com

The Best Chili Recipe will change the way you make chili from now on. It has a secret ingredient that takes this dish to the next level. It's easy to make and makes enough for a crowd | HostessAtHeart.com

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Comments

  7. michele says

    October 21, 2017 at 8:25 am

    ha! I guessed mustard powder as I saw the title… because thats what my mom used in hers and always said it was her secret ingredient! I’ll have to give this one a try to compare! 🙂

    Reply

  9. Brittany Wimberley says

    October 20, 2017 at 12:07 pm

    How many people does this normally feed? I am going to make this for my Halloween party and will have around 25 guest.

    Reply

  11. Brenda says

    May 29, 2017 at 3:04 pm

    What can you substitute in place of the Mrs. Grimes hot chili beans? I don’t believe my store has any of this kind.

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      May 30, 2017 at 9:07 am

      You can use kidney beans Brenda or any other type of chili beans. The Mrs Grimes are just a little spicier so you may want to add a little more chili powder if you find you want more heat. Thank you for reaching out and let me know if you have questions.

      Reply

  12. Tamara Andersen says

    December 13, 2016 at 12:11 pm

    This looks so perfect for a chilly day Julie! I hope we have one soon, so we can give it a whirl… I love the addition of mustard! I use it in so many non-traditional ways, and it always adds a lot of depth.

    Reply

  14. Sandra Shaffer says

    December 11, 2016 at 1:10 pm

    I love serving chili dishes when everyone has different schedules, but each of us can still have a homemade meal when a pot of chili is made. I can’t wait to give this recipe a try. It looks delicious!

    Reply

  17. Christie says

    December 10, 2016 at 4:05 pm

    LOVE me a good bowl of chili. I was thinking of making some for dinner tomorrow. Now I WILL make some tomorrow. Yum

    Reply

  24. Debi at Life Currents says

    December 8, 2016 at 11:18 am

    This chili looks fantastic, and is making me hungry! I like that there are so many ways to serve chili. My husband likes his over rice. I usually eat mine straight with toppings like cheese, sour cream, and green onions. I also love to serve mine on nachos! Yum! (my stomach just growled!)

    Reply

  28. Lynn | The Road to Honey says

    December 7, 2016 at 9:01 am

    The Mr. and I used to make chili on the regular. After all, when you are low carbing it, it doesn’t get any meatier than chili. Fast forward to today and it’s been ages since we last had chili. I guess it’s because we live in the city and going to the grocery store is a pain to say the least. So, I get a meal delivery service. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve been having a mega chili craving. I think I will have to skip the delivery service one week and make a big ol’ pot of this chili (it is the best after all 😉 )

    Reply

  29. jane @ littlesugarsnaps says

    December 6, 2016 at 8:01 am

    Chilli is definitely adaptable. And the beans or no beans was a point of divergence when I met my husband. I was firmly in the red kidney bean camp and he was in the no beans arena. These days we’ve both switched allegiance to black beans. I love your recipe. I do wish I could get my hands on Mrs Grimes’ hot chilli beans though, if only for the name. I’ll have to search out a suitable version on the UK supermarket shelves (may not be quite as good as your though).

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      December 5, 2016 at 8:11 am

      Tons of research Mollie! LOL. It really is the best that we’ve had for the simpler recipes. John has one that had all kinds of meats in it that he loves too. I haven’ made that one yet.

      Reply

  32. Antonia says

    December 4, 2016 at 11:09 am

    I can see why you love this so much! This chili looks delicious and hearty! My kids adore chili and I will have to try this recipe out for them 😀 Have a wonderful Sunday!

    Reply

  33. NancyC says

    December 3, 2016 at 8:01 pm

    This chili sounds great! I can’t believe I haven’t made any this season yet, because I really love chili, and I will have to try this out! 🙂

    Reply

  35. Loretta says

    December 3, 2016 at 9:14 am

    My favorite comfort food of all time Julie. It looks so piping hot and flavorful with all the ingredients. A great idea to make such a large batch and freeze it for a later date. I’m all about cooking in bulk too so I can divide it into little containers for a quick weeknight meal. 6lbs of ground beef had to yield enough to feed an army, gotta try that 🙂

    Reply

  38. Sonal says

    December 1, 2016 at 9:42 pm

    I still have to venture into the Chilli zone, Julie…
    Amit eats chili all the time but vein a vegetarian, I don’t get an option. I am so inspired by your chili, I will be trying my hands on a vegetarian chili soon, using the seitan or soy granules for meat..

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      December 1, 2016 at 7:58 pm

      I have a very large stock pot Sheryl. I would guess at least a 9qt? My neighbor cuts this recipe down but I love having all of the extra to put int the freezer. Thanks for stopping by Sheryl!

      Reply

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