This chili with fresh tomatoes recipe is a great way to use up those vine ripe tomatoes from the garden. It’s a fabulous dinner recipe that is packed with flavor, veggies, beans, and meat and requires a little effort and patience to come together.
You’re going to enjoy this chili recipe until that last drop in the pot because it’s just too good to waste. With so many flavors and textures throughout this chili, it’s unlike any you’ve ever had before. Made simply in a dutch oven, you can sauté, brown, and simmer all in one convenient pot.
To get that great tasting flavor we want and expect from our chili we will need to simmer our chili for a little over an hour. This will help to tone down the tomato taste while bringing out the other flavors in the chili. Having patience is key to a good chili because slow-roasted chili recipes always taste the best.
Chili Ingredients
- Meat: You will use a blend of ground beef and ground sausage to create a full-flavored chili but you can also do any combination of meats that you have on hand or prefer. I enjoy smoked sausage or kielbasa because they lend a lot of flavor to the chili.
- Garlic: Adding a little garlic into the chili will help to create a depth of flavor.
- Jalapeno: For a spicier chili keep and use the seeds and membranes of fresh jalapenos. For more flavor and less heat, remove the membranes and seeds before adding them to the dish.
- Onion: Adding cooked onion to the chili will help to bring a little sweetness that makes the dish feel more balanced.
- Celery: This is another aromatic and will make the chili taste better by adding another layer of flavor while adding a little freshness.
- Spices: For a wonderful combination of seasonings use cumin, chili powder, and cayenne.
- Beef broth: Use some beef broth to be the base of the chili. This will give the ingredients enough liquid to simmer in and develop full flavor.
- Brown sugar: This is a special ingredient that helps to cut down on some of the acidity.
- Tomatoes: Use fresh tomatoes that were washed and chopped. You can use any variety of tomatoes depending on what you have on hand or use a combination of different types.
- Tomato paste: Some tomato paste will help to give a stronger flavor and red base for the chili.
- Beans: A can of kidney beans and a can of northern beans are my preferred beans of choice for chili but other beans can be used too.
How to Make Chili with Fresh Tomatoes
- Brown all of your meat in a large dutch oven or pot (one with a lid).
- Once the meat has been browned, add in the garlic, onions, jalapeno, and celery. Cook them until they’re softened. This should take about 2 minutes.
- Add in the spices (cumin, chili powder, and cayenne) and then cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the beef broth, brown sugar, tomatoes and tomato paste, mixing well to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the lid to the pot. Cook for 1 hour.
- Remove the lid and stir in the beans. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
- Serve the chili warm with your chili toppings of choice. Our favorites include cheddar cheese, sour cream,red onions, cilantro, and tortilla chips or strips.
Common Chili FAQs
While not every chili recipe has celery in it, you can never really go wrong when you add more veggies to your recipes. This chili works wonderfully with fresh celery and once you taste it for yourself you may see what you’ve been missing.
This is a simple fix. Simply allow the chili to cook with the lid off for a while longer and the liquid will naturally evaporate. You can also take a small portion of the chili (with the beans) and run it through a food processor or blender until smooth. Then stir it back into the dish. The beans will naturally help to thicken the soup thanks to their waxy cores.
There are some great tricks that you can do to help counter an over-spicy chili. These include mixing in a little dairy like cheese or butter or even using honey, or sugar. These ingredients either have natural or artificial sugars that help to balance out the heat to make the chili taste more neutral.
Chili with Fresh Tomatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground sausage
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small jalapeño seeds and membranes removed, small dice
- 1 medium onion small dice
- 1 stalks celery small dice
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 cups fresh tomatoes chopped
- 6 ounces tomato paste 1 small can
- 15 ounces kidney beans 1 normal can, drained
- 15 ounces northern beans 1 normal can, drained
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or pot, brown all the meat.
- Once browned, add garlic, onions, jalapeño, and celery. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add in cumin, chili powder, and cayenne. Cook for a couple more minutes.
- Pour in beef broth, add brown sugar, tomatoes, and tomato paste.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the liquid has reduced and the chili is a thicker consitency.
- Remove lid, add kidney beans and great northern beans and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes.
- Serve with toppings of your choice. Some of our favorites are cheddar cheese, sour cream red onions, cilantro, and tortilla chips or strips.
Notes
Nutrition
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Alli says
Great way to use fresh tomatoes!