Name: Quick and Easy Chili
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil (divided); 1 pound ground beef; 1 medium yellow onion; 3 stalks celery; 3 cloves garlic; 1 25-ounce jar pasta sauce; 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (or water); 1 teaspoon dried basil; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon curry powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; sea salt (to taste); freshly ground black pepper (to taste); 1/2 cup raw cashews (optional, but delicious!); sour cream (optional, to garnish; use plant-based version for dairy-free); shredded cheese (optional, to garnish; use plant-based version for dairy-free); chopped cilantro (optional, to garnish)

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This quick and easy chili recipe could not be easier to throw together on a busy weeknight. Add a dollop of sour cream to turn this one bowl meal into the perfect cool weather comfort food.

Quick and easy chili with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese in two white serving bowls.

I am definitely filling this meal under dinner recipes that require less than 30 minutes to make but taste like they took a lot more. 🙂

This healthy and easy chili recipe is kid-friendly and loved by all, a great addition to a busy night dinner repertoire.

Looking for other quick dinner ideas on a cool night? Try this easy black bean soup or these this festive roasted butternut squash soup.

The ingredients

For this recipe, I've deliberately kept the ingredients super simple and restricted to items commonly on hand anyway. And if you don't have a spice or two other than chili powder (which is the only key spice), don't fret--this simple chili recipe is also super forgiving. 😉

Chopped yellow onion, celery, minced garlic and pasta sauce in glass prep bowls on a light grey marble countertop.

Here's the list:

olive oil
grass fed ground beef
onion, celery and garlic
pasta sauce, low-sodium if possible
low-sodium vegetable broth, or water
dried basil, oregano, chili powder, curry powder and ground cumin
sour cream, shredded cheese or fresh cilantro (all optional; pick your favorites!)

And one extra-credit, super awesome add-on: raw cashews. So good!!

Easy chili recipe tips

Tip #1: Before you begin, simply chop the onions, garlic and celery and set aside. You could even do this the morning or day before, or even keep these prepped and on hand in the fridge for super simple, impromptu dinner prep.

Tip #2: If you don’t have any fresh garlic on hand, not to worry! You can just use garlic powder and it’ll still be delicious. 🙂 And as mentioned above, don't even worry if you don't have one of the spices involved. Chili powder is key, but the others are flexible.

Okay, to get started you can go ahead and heat half the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the ground beef and use a wooden spoon to break it up in the pan and keep sautéing until brown. Add some salt and pepper to taste, and then set the browned meat aside in a bowl.

Browning ground beef in a large chili pot. — Browning ground beef.

Add the rest of the oil to the pot and sauté the onions first until translucent. Then add the garlic and sauté for another minute or so, and then the celery for a few more minutes.

Sautéing yellow onion, garlic and celery in olive oil. — Sautéing the veggies.

After the celery is sautéed a bit, you can add all the spices, pasta sauce, vegetable broth (or water) and browned beef, and bring briefly to a boil. If you'd like, you can throw in a big handful of cashews now too, because they are so worth it. 😉 Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Chili simmering in a large stainless steel pot. — Putting everything together on a low simmer.

Serve immediately with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese or your own favorite toppings, and enjoy!

🍳 Recipe