Chili with Rice

Chili with rice is a quick and easy one-pot meal that is perfect for busy weeknights! It’s hearty, comforting, and so flavorful. Add your favorite toppings, and this is sure to become a new favorite!

🍲 What Makes This Recipe So Good

• Chili with rice is so hearty and satisfying. The sauce base has broth, tomatoes, red kidney beans, red pepper flakes, and tender rice, combined with deliciously sautéed onions, bell peppers, and seasoned ground beef. The fluffy rice, combined with the heartiness of beans and ground beef, turns this soup into a perfectly satisfying meal for cooler weather!
• This chili is ready in under an hour, and only uses one pot! Less cleanup and less time in the kitchen. It’s comes together quickly, making it perfect for busy weeknights. Make a batch on Friday, and eat it throughout the weekend. Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, red or green onions, sour cream, or even saltine crackers. The whole family will love this delicious meal!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• Chili with rice is super customizable! Feel free to add more of your favorite veggies or beans to the mix. Love spice? Add more red pepper flakes to give the chili a deeper level of flavor. You can even turn this into a taco-chili by adding a packet of taco seasoning! Not a fan of ground beef? You could use ground chicken or ground turkey instead. The customization possibilities are endless!
• Heat sensitive? You can omit the red pepper flakes! Bell peppers are really mild, but red bell peppers are sweeter than green or yellow, so you might prefer them in your chili.

🥘 More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love

• Chickarina Soup
• Potato Crusted Cod
• Firebirds’ Chicken Pasta Copycat Recipe
• Olive Garden Capellini Primavera
• Baked Ziti Pasta
• Chicken Costoletta (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
• Stuffed Ziti Fritta
• Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
• Turnip Green Soup
• Buffalo Chicken Alfredo
• Spaghetti Alfredo
• Instant Pot Chicken and Noodles
• Walking Taco Casserole

Chili with Rice

A hearty, satisfying one-pot meal, full of flavor and made with pantry staples.

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 45 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour

Recipe Makes: 4 servings

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Equipment

• large dutch oven (or other large, heavy-bottomed pot)
• large wooden spoon

Ingredients

For the Chili with Rice

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion (diced, approximately 2 cups)
• ▢ 1 medium green bell pepper (diced, approximately 1 cup)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef (85/15 or 90/10 preferred)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chili powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cumin
• ▢ ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
• ▢ 3 ½ teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
• ▢ 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
• ▢ ½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• ▢ 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 1 14-ounce can kidney beans (rinsed well, drained)

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

• ▢ sour cream
• ▢ shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ chopped red onions
• ▢ thinly sliced green onions
• ▢ tortilla chips

Instructions

 

• Place dutch oven on stovetop over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl or tilt pot to distribute oil across entire surface. Continue heating pot until oil is hot and shimmery.
• When oil is ready, add 1 medium yellow onion (diced) and 1 medium green bell pepper (diced) to pot. Stir to incorporate, then sauté veggies 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies have softened and onions are translucent.
• When onions are ready, add 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic. Stir to incorporate, then sauté 30 to 60 seconds or until garlic is fragrant.
• Add 1 pound lean ground beef to pot. Cook ground beef, stirring frequently and using spoon to break up beef, until ground beef is browned and crumbled, approximately 5 minutes.
• Once ground beef is browned, add 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, ½ tablespoon smoked paprika, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, freshly cracked black pepper, and 3 ½ teaspoons salt to pot. Continue cooking ground beef 30 seconds more, stirring constantly to fully incorporate spices into meat.
• Pour in 2 cups low-sodium beef broth and stir to incorporate, scraping bottom of dutch oven with spoon to loosen any onions, garlic, or bell pepper that may have stuck to bottom of pot.
• Once broth is incorporated, add ½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice, 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, and 1 14-ounce can kidney beans. Stir until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Reduce heat to low. Simmer chili, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until chili has thickened and rice is fully cooked. Stir chili occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.
• When chili is ready, portion chili into serving bowls. Top with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onions, and thinly sliced green onions if desired. Serve warm with optional tortilla chips.

Notes

• Ground Beef: Leaner ground beefs are a little more expensive, but the lower fat content will help the chili not feel as greasy. 85/15 is typically a good middle ground. Keep in mind that lean ground beef will have a little less flavor and will dry out faster, though.
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: For a more mild chili, omit the red pepper flakes entirely.
• Rice: Don’t use minute or instant rice, or it’ll overcook way before the chili’s done simmering! Stick to long-grain white rice or basmati rice.

Recipe costs provided are approximate. Actual cost per recipe & serving will vary by location, store, brand, etc. Approximate cost shown does not include costs for any optional ingredients.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 544kcal | Protein: 39g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 2569mg | Potassium: 1669mg | Total Carbs: 62g | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 10g | Net Carbs: 48g | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 135mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used. To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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Recipe by Cheryl Malik