Simple Homemade One Dish Chili

***This post does have affiliate links in it. If you choose to use one, you will be helping to support my family. Thank you.

Homemade one dish chili soup has always been a favorite recipe of mine. I don’t know why, but I love it. As a kid when I opened the door coming home from school and smelled the aroma I knew it was going to be a good meal. The chili seasoning wafting through the air, my mom browning the ground beef. Noticing the cheese and crackers on the table meant my favorite meal was being served.

Homemade chili is a pretty simple recipe, yet I know everyone makes it different. That, like meat loaf holds a stage of its’ own on how the cook decides to make it. Always the big question and debate over spaghetti noodles or elbow macaroni looms over the cooks decision. Personally, I make mine with both. Not being hard sold on either, but yet, I know people who are die hard both ways.

Here is my simple, yet frugal chili recipe. Add to it, or not, but make the recipe your own. It should always hold one secret ingredient you have added that no other recipe holds.

Ingredients

1 whole chopped onion

1 whole chopped green pepper

1-2 lbs. grous beef

1 bag of elbow macaroni

i can of hormel chili

4 cans of tomato sauce

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 tsp. ketchup

1 tablespoon of garlic

salt and pepper (how much depends on the quantity you make., bur not more than a tsp each)

2 cans of kidney beans or black beans

2 cups of water

1 tsp of tabasco sauce (to make it a bit spicy)

Seasonings:

For each I do 1 tsp. because when I make chili I use the entire instant pot. Be careful with the cayenne pepper it can be very hot. I use it sparingly.

1 tablespoon chili-o

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

Directions

My first step is to heat my cast iron skillet with 1 cup olive oil. When it is smoking I add 1 cup of water before I add my ground beef. I have always done this to help my meat not dry out.

Next, after my ground beef is cooked I start chopping my green pepper and onion. When those are both diced small then I start adding my ingredients into the instant pot.

As I begin to add ingredients into the instant pot the tomato sauce goes in first. Then my cups of water. The reason that I add in my sauce and water first is to make sure that we have enough room to add all of the other ingredients. That is one of the reasons I like one dish meals. There is not a lot of dishes left at the end. One cast iron skillet, and the dinner dishes.

Since the instant pot is removable we use it to store the chili in for leftovers.

Finally, after I add in the sauce and water I add in the elbow macaroni. All of the other ingredients follow the elbow macaroni.

Last but not least is the seasoning and garlic. As soon as these are added I close the lid and start the instant pot.

Tips and Cooking Hints

When cooking chili always cook and then serve the next day. This allows all of the ingredients in the one dish soup to settle into the recipe and marinate. Yes, I said marinate because to me that is what it does. Chili is always best the next day.

In addition to this make sure to serve a side dish of cheese and crackers. Some people serve oyster crackers, but I always use saltines.

One more tip is to serve with a salad. A delish garden salad alongside a warm bowl of chili is sure to win over the bellies of those eating it.

One Dish Chili Variations

Many people add in their variations to this one dish meal. Over the years’ I have tweaked my recipe to suit the tastes of my family. When my kids were young I added in brown sugar to overcast the spicy taste. They did not like it hot.

Likewise if I did make it spicy we would add sour cream to their bowl , make a separate batch that was less spicy.

No matter how the recipe goes, I am sure your secret ingredient will be well reserved into this delicious one dish meal.

For more tips and ideas on homemade meals that save not only time but money sign up for my newsletter!