Baked Bean Chili

Baked bean chili is a recipe rarity: a meal that comes together quickly but still serves a crowd. While we have lots of contest-winning recipes like this one that take 30 minutes or less to cook, few of them serve as many as 24 diners!

This isn’t a purist’s Texas-style chili, but then you probably knew that when you clicked on a chili recipe with baked beans. Instead, it’s the kind of soupy, warming chili you’d find at a fast-food restaurant. Truthfully, baked beans in chili isn’t as unusual as it might sound. Sure, the baked beans add a sweetness to the bowl that’s not in most traditional chilis, but that sweetness makes a surprisingly pleasant complement to the usual spice.

Ingredients for Baked Bean Chili

• Ground beef: Ground beef gives this quick chili its meatiness and much of its flavor.
• Baked beans: The canned baked beans are already cooked and full of flavor, making for a quick meal.
• Tomato juice and V8 juice: The tomato and V8 juices pack balanced flavor and plenty of vitamins.
• Chili seasoning: The chili flavor here comes from an envelope of chili seasoning, which ties together the flavors of the other ingredients.
• Sour cream, shredded cheddar and sliced jalapenos (optional): Sour cream, cheddar and jalapenos aren’t necessary, but they do add welcome flavor and richness as toppings.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the meat

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In a Dutch oven, cook the ground beef over medium heat until it’s no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Drain the excess fat.

Step 2: Combine all the ingredients

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Stir in the baked beans, tomato juice and V8 juice, and the chili seasoning. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Serve the chili with the optional toppings, so each diner can customize their bowl.

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Baked Bean Chili Variations

• Add some aromatic vegetables: This recipe is built for speed and convenience, and it’s good as is. That said, if you have a few extra minutes, you can liven it up significantly with the addition of a few vegetables. Finely diced sweet bell peppers or mild chile peppers are an excellent addition, and they only take a few minutes to soften in the skillet along with the beef. The same holds true for onions, garlic or finely minced celery.
• Swap the juice for sauce: Tomato juice is just the right consistency to thin the baked bean sauce and make a soupy, restaurant-style chili. If you’d prefer a version that’s just as quick but a bit thicker, replace the juice with a couple of cans of plain tomato sauce. It takes no longer, and the flavor profile is pretty close to the same; it’s just a bit thicker and creates a heartier impression.
• Change the beans, change the chili: Realistically, the best kind of baked beans to use is whatever you have in your pantry. But after the first time you make this recipe, you can buy baked beans with this chili in mind, and there’s no reason you can’t experiment. Molasses-based New England-style baked beans would lend an interesting depth of flavor to the chili, and the sweetness complements the chili flavorings well. Alternatively, you could skip baked beans entirely and opt for “Southwest-style” beans in sauce.

How to Store Baked Bean Chili

The leftover chili should be transferred to a food-safe storage container, once it cools, and kept tightly sealed in the refrigerator.

Can I make this chili with baked beans ahead of time?

This chili is already a quick meal, at just 30 minutes of total prep time to feed a crowd, but you can certainly make it a day ahead for even greater convenience. The added time allows the flavors to mature and meld together, so the chili will actually be better for the resting time.

How long will baked bean chili keep?

As long as you put it away in your fridge promptly after the meal, the leftovers should be perfectly good for four or five days. It’s best to reheat individual portions, rather than an entire pot. If you do reheat the chili in quantity, try to eat up any “leftover leftovers” within a day or else freeze them after the meal.

Can I freeze this chili?

Yup, it’ll freeze and thaw pretty well (and a batch this size lends itself to make-ahead freezer meals). Pack it into meal-sized portions in heavy-duty freezer bags, or freezer-safe containers with airtight lids. The chili will keep for one to three months, depending on how well you’ve wrapped it, and it can be reheated in your microwave or on the stovetop.

Baked Bean Chili Tips

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Can I use my own baked beans?

Of course, as long as you have enough left over in your fridge or freezer. This recipe calls for three of the 28-ounce cans, or a little over 2-1/2 quarts. You could also combine your homemade baked beans with some canned, if necessary, to make up the difference. The best thing about making your own is that you can pick a recipe with a flavor profile (and batch size) that works well in this chili.

Could I substitute regular canned beans without sauce?

Yes, those work just as well. They won’t be infused with flavor, so you’ll have a finished chili without the sweet undertones. You may want to add a can of plain tomato sauce, to compensate for the volume you lose by switching from baked beans in sauce to drained beans with no sauce.

What should I serve with this chili?

The chili stands on its own well enough, but you can make a more fully rounded meal with a few extras. A soft dinner roll or wedge of cornbread to mop up the juices is always a good starting point. You might also serve it with warm tortillas or tortilla chips, a side of rice or even over soft polenta.