Hearty Beef and Lentil Chili

A delicious chili made with beef, lentils, tomatoes, vegetables, and seasonings! This easy, from-scratch chili tastes amazing!
Yield: 

about 5 quarts
Ingredients: 

2 to 2.5 pounds ground beef or inexpensive steak*
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper (any color), diced
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes (or 4 cups diced fresh tomatoes)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon brown sugar
A few splashes of your favorite hot sauce (or a dash of cayenne pepper)
2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
6 cups water
1 pound dry lentils (about 2 1/2 cups of dry lentils), rinsed

Optional, for serving:

Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Chopped fresh cilantro
Hot sauce
Tortilla chips
Instructions: 

1.
In a large stock pot, brown ground beef with onion, garlic, and pepper.
Drain grease and return to pan. Add remaining ingredients, except
lentils and optional ingredients, to the drained meat mixture.

If using steak, trim as much fat as possible from meat and cut into
small pieces. In a large stock pot, brown meat with onion, garlic, and
pepper. Do not drain. Add remaining ingredients except lentils and
optional ingredients.

2. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer covered, on medium-low heat for
at least 30 minutes. Add lentils and stir. Cover and simmer for an
additional 60 minutes or until lentils are tender. If this chili is too
“soupy” for your tastes, simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes or so,
until it’s the thickness you desire. (And if it’s too thick, add a
splash of water.)

3. Serve hot, with optional ingredients of your choice. Enjoy! 🙂

See additional notes below for the crock pot version of this recipe! 🙂

Hearty Beef and Lentil Chili, served with homemade cornbread Additional Notes: 

*Using ground beef vs. inexpensive steak:

Using ground beef is faster, since you don’t need to dice it before cooking.

Using steak is great for making this chili in the slow cooker, since
you can trim the fat before cooking, and don’t need to use a separate
pan to brown the meat before putting it in the crock pot.

Making lentil chili in the slow cooker:

I recommend using an inexpensive steak, with the fat trimmed as well
as possible, so you can make this chili start-to-finish in your crock
pot! If you choose to use ground beef instead, brown it in a pan on the
stove, drain the grease, and then add to your crock pot.

Add all ingredients (except optional ingredients) to a 6-quart crock
pot. (If your slow cooker is smaller than 6 quarts, reduce the recipe to
fit.) Cook on HIGH for 8-10 hours. Keep warm until ready to eat! Serve
with your choice of the optional ingredients listed.

Slow cooker prep time: 20-30 minutes
Slow cooker cook time: 8-10 hours

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.