We love making soup in our house because 1.) soup is delicious and 2.) soup can be super cheap. Also – soup is a perfect way to welcome the cooler weather. I had been craving some hearty soup and knew this Easy Hearty Beef Chili would be perfect. I looked through a few different family recipes and realized how much I liked chili due to the fact that it is super versatile, and you can use what you have on hand.
This Easy Hearty Beef Chili recipe is one that uses things we already had in our pantry and fridge – perfect for weeks or days when trying to save money but have filling meals.
I had a half-pound of ground beef leftover after making another dish, so I used that half pound for our chili. This was perfect for the amount of soup we made. I cooked the beef with a palm-full of dried onions.
I used canned tomatoes with green chilies and canned kidney beans. The only other ingredients I added were a little sugar, water, chili powder and cumin. Oh – and of course topped it with some Monterey jack cheese. YUM.
I loved putting my butter and honey on my cornbread muffin and crumbling it into this chili. I got a little kick from the chili, and the honey cooled things off. Oh, this Easy Hearty Beef Chili is so good.

Easy Hearty Beef Chili
Ingredients
½ pound ground beef (minced beef)
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 cans red kidney beans - undrained
2 tablespoons chili powder (chilli powder in British English)
1 tablespoon cumin
½ teaspoon sugar (white sugar)
1 ½ cups water
1 cup Colby Jack cheese - shredded
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, brown beef. When beef is almost done, add in dried onions.
- When beef is cooked, wipe out excess grease with a paper towel.
- Add in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and sugar. Let cook for 5 minutes.
- Add in water to reach desired consistency.
- Top with cheese and enjoy with cornbread!