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Home » Recipes » Darn Good Chili Recipe

Darn Good Chili Recipe

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This darn good chili recipe is not only crazy tasty, it’s amazingly simple to make and is always a fan favorite!

Darn Good Chili Recipe | Happy Money Saver

It’s National Chili Day. The day we look forward to all year long. The day we eat pounds of beans and later regret it.  I don’t know why I love chili so much, but if there is a day dedicated to it, I am all in.

To celebrate this blessed holiday I am sharing my go to recipe for Chili. This recipe is a winner. Literally.  I have won a few chili cook-offs with this baby. It’s also a winner in my eyes because it is a crock pot meal and a freezer meal! Oh, how those two qualities alone can make my heart sing.  I call this recipe my “Darn Good Chili”. Why? I am so glad you asked! Because every time I make it someone usually tells me, in a southern drawl, “Ma’am that there be some darn good chili, if I don’t say so myself”.  I have to agree, it is pretty darn good. I thought about calling it my pretty much perfect and amazing in every way chili recipe, but I thought that might come across a little braggy. Let me know what you think. Hope you like it.

 

Start by Gathering All Your Ingredients

DARN GOOD CHILI RECIPE

Darn Good Chili Recipe | Happy Money Saver

Cook the ground beef in a pan over med-high heat.

Darn Good Chili Recipe | Happy Money Saver

Finely chop celery and onion. Add these and remaining ingredients to a crock pot. When pouring contents in the crock pot, be sure not to drain the liquid from your beans. We don’t discriminate against bean juices here okay?

Darn Good Chili Recipe | Happy Money Saver

At this point, you can also add in some cayenne pepper to spice things up, but I never do, because let’s face it, I am a wimp. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hours.

Darn Good Chili Recipe | Happy Money Saver

To freeze: Mix all ingredients and place in a freezer safe zip-lock bag. Freeze.

When ready to cook, thaw then cook in crock pot.

Darn Good Chili Recipe | Happy Money Saver

Serve with cheese, sour cream, chips, or my Irish Brown Bread Recipe from last week.

It is a perfect complement to the chili.

Happy National Chili Day!

 

Below I have created a printable version of this recipe.

Darn Good Chili Recipe | Happy Money Saver

Darn Good Chili Recipe

A delicious Darn Good Chili that is nearly perfect in every way. 
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chili
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 596kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1 tsp stalk celery finely chopped or 1/2 celery salt
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 4 oz can diced green chili's
  • 29 oz can tomato sauce
  • 29 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 29 oz can kidney beans with liquid
  • 29 oz can pinto beans with liquid
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 3 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tbs cayenne pepper optional for added heat
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cook the ground beef in a pan over med-high heat. Finely chop celery and onion. Add these and remaining ingredients to a crock pot. When pouring contents in the crock pot be sure not to drain the liquid from your beans. We don't discriminate against bean juices here okay? At this point you can also add in some cayenne pepper to spice things up, but I never do, because lets face it, I am a wimp. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low 8 hours. Serve with cheese, sour cream, chips, or my Irish Brown Bread Recipe from last week. It is a perfect compliment to the chili.

Notes

To freeze: Mix all ingredients and place in a freezer safe zip-lock bag. Freeze. When ready to cook, thaw and cook in crock pot.

Nutrition

Serving: 413g | Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 2626mg | Potassium: 1907mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 2340IU | Vitamin C: 32.9mg | Calcium: 215mg | Iron: 10.2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @happymoneysaver or tag #happymoneysaver!

My list of freezer friendly meals is growing. Check them out along with my other recipes here.

 

Don’t forget to “Pin It” for later! 

Darn Good Chili Recipe | Freezer Friendly Crock Pot Recipe | Happy Money Saver

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February 27, 2014
Freezer Meals, From Scratch, Frugal Recipes, Recipes

Comments

  1. Kate says

    February 18, 2023

    5 stars
    This is an incredibly savory chili with a nice afterburn. It’s not too spicy as is, next time I may bump up the hot factor a tad because I like things very hot. All around a winner, even the littlest kid didn’t complain!

    Reply
  2. April Tipton says

    September 28, 2020

    Could you tell me if you’d think it would taste the same to cook all the chili together at one time then freeze in individual freezer bags or bowls? I am wanting to make and freeze and few meals for my dad to keep handy in his freezer to just grab out of the freezer and pop in the microwave or warm up in a pot on the stove. Also, how long is best for freezing?
    Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Karrie says

      October 1, 2020

      Hello, yes this would still be very delicious!!! He can easily reheat in the microwave.

      Reply
  3. Wayne says

    December 23, 2019

    Just wanted to comment on the ingredients, The way it is written, 1 tbs cayenne pepper optional for added heat. For 6 servings, that would be 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne per serving, which would be more than heat but hot fire. I would think 1/4 teaspoon for the recipe would be okay for the majority to start with.

    Reply
  4. Beth Lohmeyer says

    December 15, 2019

    I’m allergic to tomatoes so I used roasted red peppers instead and also decreased the heat by half but this is by far one of the best recipes we’ve used for savory chili! Thank you for sharing

    Reply
  5. Ashley says

    September 13, 2019

    What is the best way to freeze for individual portion sizes- can I come out all first, let cool, said freeze in smaller bags or the aluminum bowls? Then microwave when we want it, after switching bowls?

    Reply
    • Karrie says

      September 23, 2019

      Aluminum bowls can’t go in the microwave, however freezer-safe paper bowls can! So yes, you can make it ahead and just reheat individual servings in the microwave for this recipe. Yum!

      Reply
  6. Ashley says

    July 7, 2019

    Can I make this without diced tomatoes? I have none on hand.

    Reply
  7. Joyce says

    February 23, 2018

    5 stars
    Made the chili today… Very Good looks like I have a new chili recipe…. I just added some carrots to it…. Thanks

    Reply
  8. Genny says

    August 30, 2017

    3 stars
    I made this last night. I would agree its darn good, except for how spicy it turned out. I like spicy food but I think the amount of chili powder was too much..?? I also added cayenne pepper but it was only a fraction of the chili powder. Next time I will taste as I go.

    Reply
  9. Laura says

    May 24, 2016

    5 stars
    This chili is amazing! I made a few batches and froze it for the crockpot. Everyone loved it. I even brought one of the frozen bags with us camping and cooked it in a pot over the fire. The kids even liked it!

    Reply
  10. Natalie says

    August 30, 2015

    when you say “stalk” do you mean the whole bunch or just a rib of celery? People interchange all the time and I’m not sure which one for this recipe

    Reply
    • Karrie says

      August 31, 2015

      Each rib. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Debbie says

    June 7, 2015

    5 stars
    Yep- this is darn good chili 🙂

    This might sounds stupid, but does the chili powder add heat?? Or did I over do it with the red pepper flakes? (my own add in). It was just at the almost too spicy line. But the flavor was perfect!

    Reply
    • Happy.MoneySaver says

      June 8, 2015

      Chili powder does add some heat but the red pepper flakes are where the bulk of the heat comes from. Try to back off on the red pepper flakes first and then adjust the chili powder as needed.

      Reply
    • Melissa says

      May 17, 2016

      4 stars
      I added 1 tsp of red pepper flakes plus the written amount of all the other spices and we all found it really spicy! I will definitely be cutting back on the spices next time and not adding any red pepper flakes. The chili tastes awesome just needs less spice!

      Reply
  12. Diana says

    May 26, 2015

    Thank you thank you!!

    quick question, if I choose to cook everything in the crock pot as it says and then freeze everything cooked. what would you suggest would be the proper way to defrost and and reheat for serving day? (sorry if this is a silly question, prepping for first baby and first time freezer cooking :\ )

    Thank you in Advance!

    Reply
    • Happy.MoneySaver says

      May 26, 2015

      I would either take it out of the freezer the day before and leave it in the fridge to thaw and then heat on the stove OR you can take it directly from the freezer to crockpot to thaw and warm! Congrats on your new baby!

      Reply
  13. Katherine says

    April 9, 2015

    How much chili does this make? It seems like a very small amount of meat compared to the other ingredients.

    Reply
  14. julie says

    January 27, 2015

    Hi I made the chili as directed but it seems really funny..

    Reply
    • julie says

      January 27, 2015

      Hi I made the chili as directed but it seems really runny..

      Reply
  15. Julie says

    January 17, 2015

    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for this recipe!

    I live way up north (Montreal) and good chilis are tough to come by, this recipe is AMAZING and was very easy to do, I subbed some of the meat in favor of more veggies, because i’m weird like that and it turned out fabulous!

    I was sceptical at the seemingly huge amounts of spices I was putting in, but that came out perfectly as well 🙂 !

    Reply
  16. Amanda says

    October 12, 2014

    Hi, just wondering about how many servings this recipe makes!? It seems like a lot of beans! Thanks.

    Reply
    • Happy.MoneySaver says

      October 12, 2014

      It makes a TON of chili–one of the reasons it’s so darn good! 🙂 It fills my large crockpot to the brim and we eat it for days. I would say at least 12 good-size servings! 🙂

      Reply
  17. Katie says

    October 8, 2014

    We are expecting our first baby in a few weeks and I am wanting to cook and freeze meals so it’s easy for my husband to take over dinner duty. I’ve never frozen pre-cooked meals before and am worried about how to package them so they don’t get freezer burn – getting a little overwhelmed and not sure where to start!

    Reply
    • Happy.MoneySaver says

      October 8, 2014

      Congratulations! I understand–I hate freezer burn. Here is a post all about how to prevent it and a some information about beginning freezer meal tips! Let me know if you have any other questions! https://happymoneysaver.com/?s=freezer+burn and https://happymoneysaver.com/freezer-meal-tips-beginners/

      Reply
  18. Carol says

    October 2, 2014

    I am making chili for about 6 families for a meal swap. My slow cooker won’t hold this much chili but my stockpot will hold quite a bit (although I may have to do a few batches). Should I just simmer on low in a stockpot? Does it cook quite the same as a crock pot?

    Reply
    • Karrie says

      October 3, 2014

      Yes, you can simmer on low in a stockpot… just make sure and stir it every so often so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. 🙂

      Reply
  19. Lauren says

    September 21, 2014

    You mean you don’t even cook the ground beef before freezing? I didn’t know that was possible?

    Reply
    • Karrie says

      September 21, 2014

      Yes, I cook the ground beef first. I brown then drain and freeze.

      Reply
      • Lindsay says

        October 20, 2018

        So just to clarify: Brown meat, drain, put in freezer bag, add all other ingredients uncooked to bag, seal, freeze.

        Yes? 🙂 Looks awesome!

      • Karrie says

        October 22, 2018

        Yes that is correct!!

  20. Corey Baum says

    August 27, 2014

    So, just to make sure. Your freezing before cooking everything ? Instead of cooking everything once and then freezing and reheating later ? Thx

    Reply
    • Happy.MoneySaver says

      August 29, 2014

      You do it either way. I usually don’t cook it before because it’s so easy to add the ingredients together, freeze it and pop it in the crockpot for dinner when needed! 🙂

      Reply

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Karrie

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I'm Karrie. Come join me on my money savin' adventures but beware: you may find yourself wanting backyard chickens, making freezer meals and dancing along with me to 80's music.
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