Texas Chili Recipe

Name: Texas Chili Recipe with no beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1 green bell pepper (diced); ½ large white onion (diced); 2 jalapenos diced; 2 teaspoons olive oil; 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder; 1 teaspoon paprika; 2 teaspoons cumin; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes; 2 ½ cups tomato sauce

By Melissa

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on Oct 04, 2024

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This thick and rich chili is full of hearty flavors, heat, and juicy ground beef! Perfect for a cookout or a chilly weeknight, Texas chili is the ultimate easy-to-make dish.

small bowl of texas chili with shredded cheese on top and jalapeños around.

Texas chili is a dish that will always stand out from the rest. There are no beans in this chili, but there is a ton of flavor! Each ingredient provides a unique flavor and they all come together to give you a savory, spicy, and delightful dish. It only takes 15 minutes to prepare all of the ingredients, and the rest of the time you let it simmer and thicken up on the stove!

I love that you can serve this chili on top of a baked potato or with cornbread muffins, but also by itself with some shredded cheese. There is nothing better than a warm, cozy, delicious bowl of chili, and this recipe fits that description perfectly!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
How to Make Texas Chili
Recipe FAQs
Expert Tips
More Soup Recipes To Consider
Texas Chili Recipe with no beans Recipe

spoonful of texas chili over the small bowl ready to eat.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Each ingredient contributes a strong and powerful flavor that all work together to create the savory chili.
There is a wide variety of ways to serve this chili, as a side or main dish!
The smell and flavor is warm, inviting, and comforting.
You can play around with the level of spice to make it taste exactly how you want.

Recipe Ingredients

portion bowls each with digitally labeled raw ingredients to make texas chili recipe.

Ground Beef—We like to use 90/10 beef so we don’t have to worry about draining any fat.
Green Bell Pepper—Feel free to switch it out for your favorite color of bell pepper.
White Onion—Diced. A yellow onion can be used for a sweeter flavor.
Diced Tomatoes—Canned.
Tomato Sauce— Serves as the base of your chili, providing both liquid and flavor.
Jalapenos—Diced.Don’t worry about removing the seeds.
Olive Oil—Helps soften and sear the veggies.
Chili Powder—To add a warm, earthy flavor to the chili.
Paprika—For a mild smoky and spicy taste.
Cumin—To add a slightly sweet and warm flavor.
Garlic Powder—Or a few cloves of freshly minced garlic.
Salt—To help amplify the flavors of the ground beef and spices.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Texas Chili

soup pan with the process of making Texas chili.

Step #1. Cook your ground beef in a large pot until it is cooked all the way through.

Step #2. Once the beef is fully cooked, add the bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, olive oil, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and salt. Continue cooking until all of the ingredients combine, stirring frequently.

Step #3. Continue cooking until all of the ingredients combine, stirring frequently.

Step #4. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat. Cover the chili with a lid and allow it to simmer until it thickens. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe FAQs

Are Texas chili and Cincinnati chili the same thing?

While these two chilis have a few similarities, they are considered different dishes. One main difference is that Texas chili also includes diced tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions. Texas chili has a more savory and spicy flavor with a lot of heat, whereas Cincinnati chili contains non-traditional spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg which gives it a sweeter flavor.

Why is my chili runny?

If your Texas chili is runny, then there is too much liquid in it. It is important to remember that the longer your chili simmers, the more the liquid will evaporate and the thicker it will become. However, if you find that the chili is still too runny, there are a few ways you can fix it. First, you can try adding more drained diced tomatoes or cooked peppers to absorb some of the liquid. The other option is to make a slurry with cornstarch or flour. Be sure to mix the cornstarch or flour with water until smooth before you incorporate it with the chili. Add a little at a time until it starts to thicken.

What is the best way to eat Texas chili?

There are many different ways people eat Texas chili! You can eat it on its own, or add some delicious toppings for more flavor. We like to use sour cream, tortilla strips, diced green onions, or cheddar cheese. You can also eat Texas chili on top of rice, cornbread, or a baked potato. Alternatively, use tortilla chips to eat this chili as a dip for a quick snack! However you eat Texas chili, you can’t go wrong.

spoonful of texas chili over the pot ready to serve.

Expert Tips

Feel free to use any kind of bell pepper! We use green because we like the subtle taste, but yellow, orange, or red will work as well.
For a slightly sweeter chili, try switching out your white onion for a yellow onion.
Don’t worry about removing the seeds of the jalapenos, they will help add some more heat to the dish!
There is no need to drain the liquid from the diced tomatoes! Giving the chili time to simmer will cook off the excess liquid and help the chili continue to thicken.