This Amish chili recipe is made with rich ground beef and slow cooked black beans for a hearty stew that can be enjoyed any time of year. Easy to make and packed with flavorful nutrition – this may be your new favorite chili recipe!
Amish Inspiration for This Chili
The Amish kitchen is full of homegrown, harvested, and preserved foods. An Amish recipe is typically made with traditional cooking methods and uses foods that can be found on a typical homestead in Amish country. The fresh, homegrown ingredients make such delicious recipes! This recipe is made with preserved tomato sauce, traditionally prepared beans, animal fat instead of modern processed oils, and fresh, hearty ground beef!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Easy
This simple recipe is made in just a few easy steps. The longest process is making traditionally prepared beans (see directions for that below). After that, sauté onions, garlic, and bell pepper, then brown the beef. Next, add spices, tomato sauce, and beef broth or water. Simmer for a little while, and your chili is ready to serve!
Healthy
This chili is packed with nutrition!
Ground beef is a very nourishing food, especially when using grass fed and finished meat.
By using beef tallow for sautéing, this recipe is made without the use of unhealthy processed oils.
Preparing the beans in a traditional way means they have enhanced nutritional bioavailability and digestibility!
Delicious
The savory flavors of ground beef, chili powder and onions combined with delicate beans, bright bell pepper and sweet tomato create an amazing chili for a satisfying meal, bursting with flavor! Top this chili with melty cheddar cheese and sour cream for the best chili experience.
Ingredients That Make This Amish Chili Amazing
Ground beef: ground beef is the main ingredient in many delicious chilis. The rich flavors of beef combine with all of the other ingredients in this recipe to make an amazing stew. Feel free to substitute with ground turkey for a different variation.
Back Beans: black beans add a delightful texture and flavor to this recipe. Feel free to swap out black beans for pinto beans, kidney beans, or cannellini beans for a slightly different variation.
Chili Powder and other spices: chili powder is a must for this recipe! The flavors of chili powder pair wonderfully with ground beef and black beans. This recipe also includes other spices like garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, paprika, cumin, and black pepper!
Onion: sautéed onions add so much flavor to this chili recipe. Sauté the onions in tallow to avoid using unhealthy processed oils.
Garlic: fresh garlic is sautéed before browning the beef and adds more rich, savory flavors. Make sure not to cook too long or it will become bitter!
Strained tomatoes: for a smooth and creamy chili, I like to use strained tomatoes in many chili recipes. This is just a plain tomato sauce that you can find at most grocery stores.
Bell pepper: bell pepper adds a brightness and subtle sweetness to this chili recipe. I prefer red, yellow, or orange pepper over green pepper.
Beef bone broth or filtered water: for enhanced flavor and nutrition, use bone broth or beef broth. This recipe is also delicious with filtered water instead!
Can This Chili be Made in a Slow Cooker?’
Yes! After sautéing the vegetables and browning the beef, feel free to throw all of the remaining ingredients in a slow cooker and slow cook on high for 3-4 hours, allowing the flavors to slowly meld and develop.
This chili can also be cooked in a large pot if in a hurry on a busy day!
How to Prepare Beans the Traditional Way (Increase Nutritional Bioavailability and Digestibility!)
- In a large bowl with a lid, add dried beans, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and cover well with filtered water. Place lid on top and let the beans soak for about 24 hours.
- The next day, or about 24 hours later, strain the beans and rinse well.
- Add rinsed beans to a pot and cover with filtered water.
- Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
- Strain water and rinse beans well.
- Add beans to a slow cooker and slow cook on high for about 6 hours, or on low for about 10 hours. You can also cook them in a large pot on medium heat for about 3 hours, or until very soft, instead.
How to Serve This Amish Chili
- Serve in individual bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.
- For added flavor add a little lime juice.
- For added spice, feel free to top with hot sauce or a little cayenne pepper!
There are many different ways to enjoy chili. It can be served with rice for example, and chili is also delicious with tortilla chips! To learn how to make healthy oven fried tallow tortilla chips, check out the second half of this video!
How to Store This Amish Chili
Once fully cooled, store chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer up to 5 months.
How to Make Amish Inspired Chili
Add onions to a large pan and sauté until slightly translucent.
Add minced garlic and sauté until just fragrant, then add bell peppers and cook for another minute or so.
Add ground beef and increase heat. Cook until beef has all browned, breaking up beef with a wooden spoon as it cooks, for about 10 minutes.
Add spices to meat mixture, then transfer to a deep pot (or slow cooker).
Add strained tomatoes and broth or water. Stir until well combined.
Add cooked beans and stir well.
Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer in the pot for 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add a little water if needed if chili gets too thick while simmering.
Alternatively, cook in a slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours.
Enjoy with cheddar cheese and sour cream on top!
More Great Recipes
Looking for healthy recipes with Amish Inspiration? Check out this barbeque sauce, this coffee cake, or this tomato soup!
Amish Inspired Chili with Black Beans (Easy Recipe)
Equipment
- 1 large pot (or slow cooker)
- 1 large pan
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, strained (see notes)
- 24 oz strained tomatoes or plain tomato sauce
- 24 oz beef bone broth or filtered water
- 1 large bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tallow
Chili Spice Mixture
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add onions to a large pan and sauté until slightly translucent.
- Add minced garlic and sauté until just fragrant, then add bell peppers and cook for another minute or so.
- Add ground beef and increase heat. Cook until beef has all browned, breaking up beef with a wooden spoon as it cooks, for about 10 minutes.
- Add spices to meat mixture, then transfer to a deep pot (or slow cooker).
- Add strained tomatoes and broth or water. Stir until well combined.
- Add cooked beans and stir well.
- Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer in the pot for 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add a little water if needed if chili gets too thick while simmering.
- Alternatively, cook in a slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours.
- Enjoy with cheddar cheese and sour cream on top!
