Making chili isn’t that hard. It’s a great dish to make the night before a party or the morning of and start in a crock pot. Chilis are often best when they have had a long time to cook and all the flavors have melded together. Whether you choose to make it with beans or without, or with chicken, beef, or pork, chili just might be one of the easiest meals you can make. Don’t have time to use a crockpot? Every one of these recipes can also be made on the stove quickly.

Chili Con Carne

Traditional chili con carne should always be made without beans. This recipe calls for ground beef, olive oil, onions, garlic, green bell pepper, some salt and pepper, a little chili powder, a dash of cayenne pepper, some cumin, oregano, canned diced tomatoes and a cup of beef broth. Start by cooking the beef until it is no longer pink in a frying pan, then remove the meat and cook the onion in the grease.

Red Chili with Beans

Though not traditional, many people love beans in their chili. This recipe takes advantage of the texture and flavor they bring! Get together ground beef, olive oil, onion, chilis, garlic, diced canned tomatoes, canned kidney beans that have been rinsed and drained, salt and pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and oregano. Just like with the original chili con carne you’ll want to cook the meat in a skillet until all the pink is gone. Remove the meat and saute up the onions until they are translucent. Combine the meat, onions and other ingredients in a crockpot on low for six to eight hours.

Chili Verde

Chili Verde is made with pork, green poblano peppers and tomatillos with the husks removed. You’ll also want to get vegetable oil, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, chicken stock, jalapeno, and cilantro. Begin by seeding the peppers and dicing them. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the pork in the oil on all sides. Remove the meat and saute the peppers, onion, and garlic until translucent. On a baking sheet, spread out the tomatillos and broil for about five minutes, then add to a blender with the cilantro and blend until liquefied. Combine all the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for six to eight hours.

Chicken Chili Verde

Chicken is certainly a viable alternative in a chili Verde recipe if you don’t have any pork available. You can use breasts or thighs that have been de-boned and skinned. Using a mix of Anaheim and poblano peppers, a little bit of chicken broth, vegetable oil, tomatillos, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and cilantro. Broil the tomatillos on high for about five minutes then blend with the cilantro until purified. Brown the chicken in the vegetable oil, then combine all the ingredients in a crockpot on low for six to eight hours.

Santa Fe Chili

A quick and easy meal to make, you just need some ground beef, a little garlic, a rinsed and drained can of beans, a drained can of sweet corn, a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, a can of tomato sauce and chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Cook the beef and garlic in a frying pan until the pink is gone, then combine in a crockpot with the other ingredients and cook on low for six to eight hours.

White Chicken Chili

White chilis are made without red tomato sauce or green tomatillos. They are a delicious and different option! For this recipe you’ll need already cooked, shredded chicken, olive oil, onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery, a little fresh garlic, a small amount of jalapeno, cumin, oregano, chili powder, chicken broth, some coconut milk, and cilantro.Start by cooking the vegetables in the olive oil until they’re just beginning to soften, then combine them with all the ingredients in a crock pot on low heat for six to eight hours!

White Chicken Chili with Beans

If you’re looking for a heartier and thicker white chili then try this recipe with beans! You’ll want shredded chicken, chicken broth, some garlic and onion, a can of diced green chilis, a can of white beans that have been rinsed and drained, and then cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, and pepper.There’s no real prep for this meal other than to chop the onion! You can combine all the ingredients in your crockpot right from the start. Consider using pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to make it even easier!

Vegan Chili sans Carne

The idea of vegan chili may seem a bit out there, but you can have a delicious chili with no animal products in it! You’ll need garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery, carrots, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, canned kidney beans drained but not rinsed, pinto beans also drained but not rinsed, and canned crushed tomatoes. Once you’ve chopped your veggies, you can add all the ingredients to your crockpot and set it to go.

Vegetarian Red Chili

This vegetarian chili is a little different than the vegan one. You’ll enjoy it and come back to make it again! You’ll want to have some olive oil, onion, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, celery, jalapeno, bell pepper, garlic, canned chopped green chiles, canned crushed tomatoes, chili powder, canned drained kidney beans, canned drained pinto beans, canned drained corn, and vegetarian burger that has been crumbled.Heat the oil in a frying pan and add all onion, jalapeno, bell pepper and garlic with the spices. Cook until just beginning to soften then combine in a crock pot with the rest of the ingredients!

Vegetarian Chile Verde

This recipe adds some potato pieces to give the same feeling as the pork that is usually found. You will need olive oil, onion, Yukon gold potatoes, a yam, garlic, tomatillos, poblano chiles, oregano, flour, cumin, canned hominy drained, canned diced chiles and some vegetable broth for this recipe.Start by chopping the potatoes and yam into pieces. Dice the onion and garlic. In a large pot or your crockpot on high heat, combine all of these with the olive oil and cook until they are just becoming translucent. Broil the tomatillos and peppers for about five minutes then blend until purified. Add this mixture plus the spices, hominy, canned chilis, and vegetable broth into the potatoes and cook on low for six to eight hours!