Dutch Oven Chili

This delicious dutch oven chili is a perfect hearty meal. This recipe uses lean ground beef and poblano peppers for a flavorful chili that is perfect for football season or your next camping trip.

this recipe

Chili is one of my favorite easy weeknight meals! It’s a staple in our house all winter. This classic chili recipe uses ground beef, poblano peppers, kidney beans and black beans for a hearty and flavorful one-pot meal that your whole family will love. Serve it up with some homemade cornbread and your favorite toppings, and enjoy the perfect comfort food.

While chili is usually a fall and winter food in our house, there is one big exception. Camping! My entire family loves camping, and we try to go for several long weekends each summer. This simple homemade chili recipe is made in a cast iron dutch oven, making it a great recipe for campfire cooking. It uses canned beans and tomatoes that are easy to store and transport. You can’t go wrong with a delicious campfire dutch oven chili after a long day of camping!

For more tasty chili recipes try my ground turkey bell pepper chili. For more dutch oven dishes, try dutch oven chicken noodle soup, lentil tortilla soup, or healthy zuppa toscana.

You Will Love This

• This easy dutch oven chili recipe is a true one-pot meal that comes together in only about 30 minutes. This is great for busy weeknights!
• Leftover chili stores beautifully and tastes even better the next day, making this recipe perfect for meal planning.

What is a dutch oven?

A dutch oven is a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid, most often made of cast iron. It can be used on the stove top, in the oven, or on the campfire! A dutch oven is perfect for making soups, stews and chilis (and all manner of other things). They are great for campfire cooking because the pot retains and distributes heat very well, helping to provide consistent heat even when your heat source (the campfire) can be a little unpredictable. For campfire cooking, I would recommend a fully cast iron pot inside and outside (Lodge brand is my favorite). The enameled dutch oven in my photos is what I use for stovetop dutch oven recipes.

Ingredients

For this simple dutch oven chili, you need the following ingredients (exact measurements are in the recipe card below):

• Olive oil
• White or yellow onion
• Poblano pepper: Poblano pepper is a mild pepper, about halfway between a bell pepper and jalapeño pepper in terms of spice level. Feel free to substitute bell peppers or jalapeño if you prefer!
• Ground beef: You could substitute another ground meat of your choice, like ground turkey or ground chicken, in this recipe!
• Garlic cloves: You could substitute garlic powder.
• Seasonings, including chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, paprika, onion powder, black pepper and salt
• Tomato sauce
• Petite diced tomatoes: You could substitute crushed tomatoes if you prefer smaller chunks of tomato.
• Kidney beans
• Pinto beans
• Beef broth or water (optional)
• Toppings! These are the best part! Some of our favorite toppings for chili are cheddar cheese, tortilla chips or strips, green onions and sour cream.

Instructions

Step One: Prepare the vegetables. Dice the onion. Wash and dice the poblano pepper.

Step Two: Put a large dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the olive oil and diced onion with a small pinch of salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is fragrant and starting to soften. Add the diced poblano and saute another 2-3 minutes.

Step Three: Add the ground beef to the pot. Brown the beef, breaking it apart with a spatula or wooden spoon as it cooks. When the beef is browned on all sides, drain the excess fat from the pot.

Step Four: Add the seasonings and garlic to the ground beef, and stir to combine.

Step Five: Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and drained and rinsed beans to the pot. Stir well. The chili will be very hearty and thick. If you prefer a little bit more broth, add 1-2 cups of beef stock or water and stir to combine.

Step Six: Bring the chili to a simmer and allow it to cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the beans are cooked and the flavor has melded. Taste the chili and season with additional salt, pepper and/or chili powder to taste. Pile your favorite toppings on top of the chili and enjoy!!

Storage

Leftover chili can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Chili is great for meal prep, and the flavors just get better after a day or two in the fridge! For longer term storage, freeze leftover chili in a freezer safe glass container. Make sure to leave room at the top of the container for the chili to expand as it freezes. When ready to eat, let it thaw in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove top or in the microwave!