Perfect for game days and cozy night’s in, this Hearty Chili will really hit the spot. Warm and comforting, this chili comes together in about 15 minutes so you can make it and let it cook while you watch your favorite team, visit with friends, or just cozy up in front of the fire.

The perfect balance of filling, spicy, and cool, you’ll want to share this chili. This chili is easily doubled to feed larger groups. It’s a snap to prep with hands-off cooking. Plus, it freezes beautifully.

The sour cream topping adds a bust of cooling freshness to temper the zestiness of the chili. Easily customizable to your liking, you can make this chili as hot or mild as you like. Perfect for creating a chili station, the topping choices are endless. You can stick with the classic sour cream and cheese combination, or get creative with onions, peppers, corn chips, jalapenos, diced tomatoes and avocado, hot sauce, and cilantro.

• Lean Ground Beef (1 pound): Look for beef that has less than 8% fat for the leanest option. The beef adds flavor to the chili.
• Onion (1 cup, chopped): Look for sweet yellow onions for this chili. Yellow onions are the go-to onions for cooking. They have a strong, pungent flavor, are slightly grassy, and slightly sweet. The fresh onions add depth of flavor to the chili.
• Bell Peppers (1 cup, chopped): Sweet and mild, they add a color to the chili as well as a rounded pepper flavor. Any color of bell peppers will work well.
• Minced Garlic (1 teaspoon): A must for any great chili.
• Chili Powder (1 tablespoon): a mix of various dried chiles, onion powder, and garlic powder. It adds a warm, smoky, earthy flavor to the chili.
• Ground Cumin (1 tablespoon): A nutty, sweet, warm spice, it adds to the classic chili flavor and helps balance the chili.
• Cracked Black Pepper (1/4 teaspoon): Adds a round and deep flavor than ground pepper. Highly fragrant and earthy with citrus and slight floral notes.
• Kidney Beans (2, 15-ounce): Hearty and meaty in texture, they retain their shape when cooked and have a slightly sweet and earthy flavor. In addition, they absorb the spices in the sauce helping carry the chili flavor.
• Tomato Sauce (15-ounce can): Adds color, a rich flavor, and aids in thickening the chili.
• Diced Tomatoes (14.5-ounce can): Packed at the peak of freshness, canned tomatoes have higher levels of vitamins A and K than fresh tomatoes. They add texture to the chili as well as the classic tomato taste.
• Water (1 cup): Thins out the chili.
• Daisy Sour Cream (1 cup): Tempers the zestiness and spiciness of the chili, adding a creamy cool component.

• Ground pork, stew meat, sausage, or cooked lentils may be used in place of part of all the ground beef.
• Crushed tomatoes may be used in place of diced tomatoes.
• Any color of bell peppers may be used. Green bell peppers are the slightly bitter with a bite, while red bell peppers are sweeter, milder, and mellower.
• Fresh and dried peppers, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce may be added to heighten the spiciness of the chili.
• If the chili it too spicy, add a pinch of sugar.
• For a more complex flavor, add 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of oregano, and/or ½ teaspoon of coriander.
• Adding a tablespoon of tomato paste will add a bright note to the chili.

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook the ground beef, onion, pepper, and garlic the until beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are crisp tender (about 8 to 9 minutes).
2. Add the chili powder, cumin, and pepper. Continue cooking for 1 minute.
3. Add the kidney beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and water. Cook and stir until the chili comes to a boil (about 5 to 6 minutes).
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Serve individual bowls of chili with a dollop of sour cream.
6. Garnish as desired. Optional garnishes: shredded cheese, avocado slices, or cubes, diced purple onion, hot sauce, sliced jalapenos, corn chips, oyster crackers, cilantro, lime wedges, diced tomatoes, and green onions.