This is the chili that makes everyone wander into the kitchen asking, “Is it ready yet?”
The one my family requests as soon as the weather cools, and the one my kids somehow always finish, even when mushrooms are involved. It’s cozy, steady, and meant to simmer for a while, the kind of meal that fills the house with warmth long before it fills the bowls.
Like most things I love cooking, this chili is built in layers. Nothing rushed. Everything given time to become what it’s meant to be.
I start with the beans. One cup of dried beans, today I used a mix of pinto and white, rinsed well and added to the Instant Pot with enough water to generously cover them. Cook on high for one hour. If you want to skip this step, you can absolutely use a can of beans (we often do black beans). Just be sure to rinse them before adding them later.
While the beans cook, I prep everything else. This is my favorite part, the calm before the heat, when the cutting board fills up and the meal starts to feel real.
Carrots, onions, and peppers are cut into rough cubes. Mushrooms I slice, though there was a time when my kids weren’t fans, so I’d chop them extra small to make them less visible (motherhood is full of tiny strategies). Garlic gets grated on a fine grater until it’s almost a paste. And then I blend a can of diced tomatoes with a generous handful of fresh basil until it’s mostly smooth, still flecked with green, bright, fresh, and a little rustic.
I set my Dutch oven over medium heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. In go the onions and carrots first, sautéing until they begin to soften. Then I add the peppers and cook everything together for about five minutes, stirring often, letting the vegetables relax into each other.
Once the vegetables are softened, I make a little well in the center and add the garlic, chili powder, chili flakes, and turmeric directly to the heat. Letting the spices warm on their own brings out their flavor. My family doesn’t love a spicy chili, so I use just a pinch of chili flakes, but you can add more if you like heat.
After about a minute, everything gets stirred together.
I scoop the vegetables out of the pot and set them aside so I can sear the beef. A tablespoon of oil goes into the empty pot, and the heat gets turned up to medium-high. The beef goes in and sits untouched for a minute or two, until it starts to form a golden crust. Then I flip it like a burger to sear the other side.
Once the juices release, the pot naturally deglazes as I start breaking up the beef and stirring. My kids prefer smaller pieces, so I break it up as much as I can. It’s okay if the beef is still a little pink at this stage, it will cook fully as the chili simmers.
Now everything comes together. The vegetables go back in, along with the mushrooms, a big bunch of parsley (stems and all), and the cooked or canned beans. I add one quart of bone broth (water works too, but bone broth adds depth), the tomato-basil blend, two tablespoons of salt, and an extra cup of water.
The chili is brought to a gentle simmer and left to cook for a good hour, while the flavors deepen and settle into each other. This is when the house starts to smell like dinner.
After an hour and a half, I stir in two cups of frozen corn and adjust the seasoning if needed (add salt or chili flakes to taste). I cook this for another 15 minutes, just long enough for the corn to soften.
We serve this chili with are pickled red onions, gluten-free cooked noodles, fresh cilantro, sour cream, and grated cheese. Everyone builds their bowl a little differently, and that’s part of the joy. It’s a meal that invites lingering, second helpings, and quiet satisfaction.
This chili makes wonderful leftovers, somehow even better the next day, once all the flavors have had time to settle and deepen. It’s the kind of meal that’s perfect to make ahead, if you have the patience. Though, to be fair, it’s hard not to eat it the moment it’s finished.