Hearty No Bean Chili Recipe - Butter Your Biscuit (2024)

FAQs

What does butter do to chili? ›

Butter smooths out the bitterness and adds its unique richness, making you take another bite without quite knowing why. A dash of sugar and vinegar gives a sweet-sour flavor that also makes the sauce rounder and more satisfying.

Easy No Bean Chili

Ground beef, onions or shallots, and garlic are browned then simmered with tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, beef stock, and green chilis, plus herbs, spices, and seasonings for just 20 minutes. If you love classic chili, you will LOVE this easy no bean recipe.

Ideally, chili should simmer low and slow. This allows some of the liquid to evaporate and results in a thicker consistency and deeper, more complex flavor as the aromatics and spices release their superpowers.

Mash the beans: Use a potato masher to mash some of the beans, which releases the starch. Give the chili a good stir afterward to mix the mashed beans into the base. You can also choose to add more beans to the chili, mashing them first to help thicken the broth.

A cup of strong, brewed coffee will work wonders for your pot of chili, imparting a deep, roasted flavor that will make the chili taste like it simmered away all day long. For maximum flavor, reduce the coffee along with a blend of tomato paste, aromatic veggies and spices like we do in our Spicy Vegetarian Chili.

HORMEL^® Chili No Beans adds excitement to any meal occasion. How about pouring HORMEL^® Chili on hot dogs for a simple, easy dinner upgrade? You'll want to keep several cans of HORMEL^® Chili No Beans on hand in the pantry because that same excitement can be poured on fries, chips, in the bowl—anything!

But many people have dietary issues with beans or would rather not have them. Plus, some people just don't like the texture or flavor. If you're nodding your head right now, then this is the chili for you! It has the perfect balance of tomato, beef, aromatics, and spice.

Too often "healthy chili" means to add more beans and either eliminate the meat altogether or decrease the overall amount. However, you can absolutely make a healthy chili with lean meat, vegetables, broth, and spices, with no beans at all!

Cornmeal does an excellent job of absorbing extra liquids so adding a tablespoon of it to the chili will thicken the final dish. Mix 2 parts of cold water and 1 part of cornmeal, make it a slurry, and add this to the pot. Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes after you add the slurry.

How to make chili more flavorful? ›

If you want more of a smoky flavor, add cumin, Spanish paprika, ancho chili powder, or a combination. If you are looking for more heat, add cayenne, crushed red pepper, or Hungarian paprika. If it's too spicy add a little brown sugar and some sweet paprika.

Tomato paste. This is probably the easiest and maybe most common addition to add thickness to a chili recipe. Tomato paste is super thick and not only adds texture but adds a richer and deeper flavor to chili.

Use All-Purpose Flour or Cornstarch

"Transfer some warm liquid [from the chili] to a separate bowl. Whisk in the flour or cornstarch, then slowly stir it back in the pot," advises Wofford. Bring the mixture back to a boil, which will "activate" the ingredient, instantly thickening the dish.

Butter & Flour

You can still thicken your chili with some pantry staples you most likely have on hand. Butter and flour are commonly used to give sauces and stews a rich texture (like gumbo, for example).

Milk and dairy products contain a protein called casein that is able to bind with capsaicin before it reaches our tongue, so it can reach fewer receptors, and lessens the sensation of spice. If your dish is too spicy, try adding heavy cream, yogurt, sour cream or butter to help mellow it out.

Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.

It also can help add richness by complementing the chile powder with its nutty sweetness, and the healthy fats in peanut butter can even tame your chili if it's too spicy. Next time, when making your favorite tomato-based chili recipe, consider adding a hearty tablespoon or two of peanut butter.