How to Make Easy Thick & Hearty Chili + Other Fall Soups

In the fall, soup and hearty stews are especially delicious on those days that keep feet wanting more than one pair of socks, and hands wanting a good pair of fleece gloves. Receiving a warm bowl of some of this thick and hearty chili recipe is like receiving a warm hug from the kitchen after a long day at work, or out in the garden.

Two Thick and Hearty Soups

The leaves are turning, the evenings are getting cooler, and it might even be cool and foggy when the alarm goes off. These are the changes that signify fall here in Southern California, and while there is still plenty of warm weather to go around, pulling out our best soup recipes is completely in order come the cooler weather.

Thick & Hearty Chili Recipe

Our family aren’t big soup eaters, but one thing we do eat a lot of is chili. We have a favorite recipe, and it’s a super easy one that can be made in the slow cooker or in the Crock Pot Express (similar to an Instant Pot, and can be used as a slow cooker as well).

We only have three in our family that eat this chili, but it has definitely made it into the Stone Family Keeper list of recipes. I usually make a big pot of it so we can have leftovers for a day or two, served either in a bowl for a second time, with corn chips on the side, or over baked potatoes with cheese and sour cream.

Thick & Hearty Chili

Chili is such an easy food that can be eaten in so many ways. It doesn’t have to always be served in a bowl, but that’s usually how we like it on the day I make it.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• crock pot

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 quarts home canned pinto beans or around 60 oz. store bought is fine
• 2-4 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin or to taste
• 8 oz tomato sauce or 15 oz diced tomatoes, if you prefer
• 1-2 fresh jalapenos
• 1 tsp salt I use pink himalayan salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2-3 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

 

• Brown you ground beef with minced garlic and onion powder, and drain.
• Return meat mixture to the pan or cooker and add all the rest of the ingredients.
• If you are using a large stock pot, bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour for the flavors to mesh together. Stir every 10 minutes or so to prevent burning. If you are using a slow cooker, turn it on low for 4 hours. If you are using the Crock Pot Express, secure the lid, close the steam pressure valve, and use the soup setting to heat your chili (about 30-40 minutes total).

Keyword crock pot express, crock pot express recipes, fall soups, instant pot, thick and hearty chili

This chili is the bomb topped with cheese, but for an extra bit of flavor, add a dollop of sour cream, finely diced onions and tomatoes, or a sprinkle of chives. For a super comfort dish, serve over a baked white or sweet potato, and top it with your favorites!

Mom’s Beef Stew

My mom had this go-to beef stew recipe that us kids loved when we were young. It was pretty bare bones and the broth was a bit watery, but being a single parent, Mom really didn’t have a lot of time to allow soup to cook long enough to get nice and thick.  Either she didn’t know about using a slow cooker, or she just couldn’t afford one, despite the fact that it would have been a great addition to her kitchen.

The thing about this recipe is that the longer you cook it, the more the potatoes break down and act as a thickener to the soup, so that’s an easy way to go if you like your broth thick and your stew heartier.

Another way to thicken it up is to dredge the stew beef in seasonings and flour and brown it in a little oil long enough for the flour to be “browned” before adding it to the pan or slow cooker.

Serve with rolls on the side, with lots of butter. Enjoy!

More Hearty Soup Recipes to Try

Just in case chili or beef stew doesn’t float your boat, I’ve curated a few other recipes from some of my good friends to share with you.

Cabbage Soup by Kelly at Montana Happy
Sweet Potato Sausage Soup by Lesa at Better Hens and Gardens
French Onion Soup by Brittany at The Pistachio Project
Rich Beef Barley Soup by Lesa at Better Hens and Gardens
Loaded Baked Potato Soup by Heather at Recipes from the Homestead
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup by Lesa at Better Hens and Gardens
Immune Boosting Beef Soup by Heidi at Healing Harvest Homestead
Creamy Asparagus Soup by Kelly at Montana Happy
Chipotle Corn Chowder by Lesa at Better Hens and Gardens
French Onion Soup (The American Version) by Heather at Easy Keto Dishes

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