My game-day chili is made from scratch without beans and an optional addition of pasta! It’s got a little kick, but it’s mellowed out by honey. You can customize it to your preference; we love adding shredded cheese to our bowls when serving!
Key Takeaways: Game Day Chili Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Bake Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 2-3
- Cooking Method: stovetop
- Flavor & Texture: a little spicy, a little sweet, thick and hearty
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Why this Recipe?: 30-minute meal that’s super easy, full of flavor, no beans, pasta optional
This soup is one of my favorite meals to throw together on a night that’s busy or I don’t feel like cooking. It comes together so easy in only 30 minutes. I love letting it simmer a little longer if we aren’t quite ready to eat.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Full of Flavor: The flavors in this chili are fantastic! It’s sweet, it’s savory, and it’s got a kick to it.
- Thick Consistency: This chili is thick and hearty; it’s so good!
- Customizable: You can customize it with the addition of beans or pasta to make it more your style.
- Perfect Football Chili: It’s such a good meal to serve for football Saturdays and Sundays during the fall, and can be easily doubled if serving a crowd.
Ingredients
- ground beef: you can use any
- yellow onion: or a white onion works well
- can of diced tomatoes: pick one that has very few ingredients, I like organic
- beef broth: a wholesome option with few ingredients and additives is best, or stock
- tomato paste: any brand will work, organic is my favorite
- fine sea salt: this is a great wholesome option
- ground black pepper: you can use freshly cracked or already ground
- garlic powder: make sure it’s not garlic salt
- onion powder: this adds such great flavor
- chili powder: make sure it’s salt-free
- smoked paprika: I don’t recommend swapping this out for regular paprika
- balsamic vinegar: I don’t recommend swapping this out, it adds such good flavor
- honey: I like to use raw, unfiltered
- small shell pasta: this is optional, any small pasta works
Tools You May Need
How to Make Game Day Chili
Add ground beef and diced onion to a medium-sized pot and cook over medium-high heat until beef is fully cooked about 6-8 minutes. Use a spoon or stainless steel masher to break the hamburger into small chunks while it’s cooking.
When beef is cooked, strain off grease and set pot of cooked beef aside.
Pour canned diced tomatoes into a blender and blend on high until the chunks break down into small pieces, almost smooth. Pour blended tomatoes into the pot with ground beef. Turn heat to medium.
Add beef broth, tomato paste, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, balsamic vinegar, and honey. Stir to combine.
Turn heat to low-medium and let it simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Optional for adding pasta: If you want to add pasta, wait until the soup is bubbling then add it in and stir.
Cook soup covered with a lid for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir occasionally throughout this cooking time. Enjoy!
How to Make it in a Slow Cooker
If you prefer to make this chili in a slow cooker, place all the ingredients, except for the pasta, into the slow cooker. You don’t need to cook the beef before adding it in. but I do recommend blending the tomatoes before. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
If you want to add pasta, do this about 30 minutes before serving. This cooks the pasta without it getting mushy.
Variations
- Add beans if desired for a more filling meal
- Add slices of jalapeno for an even spicier chili
What to Serve with Game Day Chili
- Sourdough Cheddar Cheese Muffins
- Sourdough Corn Muffins
- Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls
- Honey Sourdough Cornbread
- Sourdough Angel Biscuit
- Cheesy Sourdough Garlic Pull Apart Bread
- Sourdough Garlic Knots
Molly’s Tips
- Read the recipe before getting started so you know what to expect.
- Wait to make any adjustments until you’ve made it once.
- Add shredded cheddar cheese to the top of the bowls when serving.
- For a quicker meal, cook ground beef ahead, freeze it, then add it to the chili on the day you make it.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in a large glass airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can also freeze this chili for 1-3 months, but I don’t recommend adding pasta if you plan to freeze.
Reheating Leftovers
You can reheat leftovers frozen or thawed. Place leftover chili in a pot on the stovetop over medium heat or in a preheated oven until warmed. But never place a frozen glass dish in a hot oven; it will shatter. Place it in before preheating.
Recipe FAQs
More Game Day Recipes
- Sourdough Crescent Roll Taco Bake
- Slow Cooker Walking Taco Casserole
- Homemade Jalapeno Cheese Dip
- Sourdough Alabama White BBQ Chicken Bacon Pizza
- Sourdough Jalapeno Popper Scones
Did you make this recipe? If so, I’d be so grateful if you left a review below!
Recipe
Game Day Chili (no beans, optional pasta)
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
- 16.4 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 cup beef broth (or stock)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp chili powder (salt-free)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tsp honey (raw, unfiltered is best)
- optional – 1/3 cup small shell pasta
Instructions
- Add ground beef and diced onion to a medium-sized pot and cook over medium-high heat until beef is fully cooked about 6-8 minutes. Use a spoon or stainless steel masher to break the hamburger into small chunks while it’s cooking.
- When beef is cooked, strain off grease and set pot of cooked beef aside.
- Pour canned diced tomatoes into a blender and blend on high until the chunks break down into small pieces, almost smooth.
- Pour blended tomatoes into the pot with ground beef. Turn heat to medium.
- Add beef broth, tomato paste, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, balsamic vinegar, and honey. Stir to combine.
- Turn heat to low-medium and let it simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- OPTIONAL FOR ADDING PASTA: If you want to add pasta, wait until the soup is bubbling then add it in and stir. Cook soup covered with a lid for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir occasionally throughout this cooking time. Enjoy!
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