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.
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You'll love Dutch Oven Chili with Fresh Tomatoes
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.
Best Homemade 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.
What kind of beans go in chili?
You can use kidney beans, black beans, or great northern beans in chili. All of them have a mild flavor that pairs well with the chili. Use any combination that you like!
How to make Chili less spicy
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.
Toppings for Chili in Dutch Oven
- Sour cream
- Frito chips
- Shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
- Lime wedges
- Cilantro
How do you make chili?
- 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.
How to thicken Chili
Chili should thicken as it cooks if the recipe was followed. If it isn't thickening enough, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of cornmeal. This will keep the flavors of the chili intact while thickening the sauce.
FAQs for a Homemade Chili Recipe from Scratch
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.
Chili should simmer for about an hour. This gives the flavors time to meld and develop. It also allows the sauce to thicken and the ingredients to soften.
While the spices obviously give the chili a lot of flavor, it's the layering of the flavors that makes an incredible chili. Browning your meat and veggies first adds a layer of flavor, followed by spices, and then the fresh tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes add yet another layer of flavor to this incredible chili dish. Finally, the long simmer brings all the flavors together for a perfect chili.
You can use water, vegetable broth, or beef broth when making chili.
Dutch Oven Chili Recipe Storage
How long does chili last in the fridge?
Chili will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat chili in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add water as needed throughout the heating process to maintain a stew consistency.
Can you freeze chili?
Yes, chili can be frozen. I like to transfer leftover chili into a zipper-top freezer bag and lay it flat in my freezer to maximize space. Thaw in the fridge and reheat using the same method outlined above.
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Chili in Dutch Oven
Equipment
- Enameled Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ 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
- ¼ 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.
Georgie Schultz Peschke
I’ve made this chili a couple of times and I absolutely love it so much better than buying the seasoning from the packets to make chili. I like to add chorizo to mine with the ground beef and I also add a little bit of red wine vinegar and I deglaze with a red wine.
Scotty
I just made this with my tomatoes if been ripening after season in the basement. I find to be absolutey deliciuos!
Alli
Great way to use fresh tomatoes!