Easy Chili Recipe ($10 Family Dinner Idea)

This quick and easy chili recipe is the perfect cozy winter meal and a budget-friendly way to warm up. Perfect for weeknight dinners, meal prep, or game day, it’s hearty, comforting, and always a crowd-pleaser.

This post is part of our $10 Dinner Ideas series, brought to you by Brigette on our team! Each week, she will be sharing easy, delicious, and affordable family-friendly dinner ideas that cost less than $10 to make, use everyday ingredients, and are super quick meals.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Chili Recipe

This chili is so easy and versatile! It’s been really cold here in South Carolina (and yes, we’re complete wimps compared to the rest of the country, haha), and cooking a big pot of hot chili on the stove is the perfect dinner during the freezing weather. It’s a budget-friendly way to warm up!

You can use whatever ground meat you want (beef, turkey, venison, chicken) — and one pound of meat stretches into a whole lot of servings, thanks to the beans. And, speaking of beans, you can use a mixture of different kinds or stick with straight pinto beans.

A bowl of chili made with pinto beans and ground meat in a rich red sauce, served in a white bowl with a blue rim. The bowl rests on a wooden board alongside fresh green onions and cilantro for garnish.

There are so many toppings you can add to customize it! Think shredded cheese, crumbled corn chips, sour cream, chopped green onions, cilantro, sliced jalapeños, or chopped avocado. We are currently dealing with some dairy sensitivities at my house, so we skipped the cheese and sour cream — and I didn’t even miss them.

If you have leftovers, this chili is fantastic over baked potatoes the next day.

Chili Dinner Menu:

Easy Chili

Blue Corn Chips

Chopped cilantro, green onions (and whatever other toppings you want to add!)

A collection of chili ingredients displayed on a wooden table.

Ingredients for Chili:

1 large onion (or two small) (Aldi) — $0.30

4 cloves garlic (Aldi — $1.75 for 3-ct pkg) — $0.25

2 Tablespoons olive oil (Aldi — $7.25 for 33T) — $0.44

1 lb ground turkey (or ground meat of your choice) (Food Lion, reduced) — $2.47

one box Texas chili seasoning (Publix) — $0.75*

2 14-oz cans crushed tomatoes (Harris Teeter — $0.50 a can) — $1

1 6-oz can tomato paste (Aldi) — $0.77

1-2 cups chicken broth (Aldi — $1.79 for 25 bouillon cubes. I used 2 cubes and 2 cups water) — $0.14

4 cans pinto beans (I used 3 cans Bush’s sidekicks from Publix last week — $0.25 each after rebate, plus 1 can Aldi organic pinto beans — $0.99) — $1.74

1/2 bag organic blue corn chips (Aldi — $2.19 for 1 bag) — $1.09

chopped cilantro, chopped green onions (Aldi) — $0.35

*Alternatively, you can use 1 Tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon each onion and garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.

Total for Dinner: $9.30 (Serves 6+)

How to Make Easy Chili:

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic.

2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and stir in the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until tender.

Chopped onions and garlic are being sautéed in a large stainless steel pot.

3. Add the ground turkey and continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

Ground turkey cooking in a large stainless steel pot for turkey chili.

4. Stir in all of the seasonings until well-mixed.

5. Add in the beans, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth and stir well.

6. Bring to a boil over low heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more salt and pepper to your turkey chili if needed.

7. Top with crumbled corn chips and chopped cilantro and green onions.

A bowl of chili rests on a wooden board alongside fresh cilantro and a basket of blue corn chips.

A bowl of chili rests on a wooden board alongside fresh cilantro.

Easy Chili ($10 Family Dinner)

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This easy chili recipe is the perfect cozy winter meal and a budget-friendly way to warm up. Perfect for weeknight dinners, meal prep, or game day, it’s hearty, comforting, and always a crowd-pleaser.

Course dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword easy dinner, family favorite, gluten free, homemade, soup, weeknight dinner

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Servings

Calories 328kcal

Author Brigette

Cost $9.30

Ingredients

1 large onion or two small (Aldi) — $0.304 cloves garlic Aldi — $1.75 for 3-ct pkg — $0.252 Tablespoons olive oil Aldi — $7.25 for 33T — $0.441 lb ground turkey or ground meat of your choice (Food Lion, reduced) — $2.471 box Texas chili seasoning Publix — $0.75*2 14- oz cans crushed tomatoes Harris Teeter — $0.50 a can — $11 6- oz can tomato paste Aldi — $0.771-2 cups chicken broth Aldi — $1.79 for 25 bouillon cubes. I used 2 cubes and 2 cups water — $0.144 cans pinto beans I used 3 cans Bush’s sidekicks from Publix last week — $0.25 each after rebate, plus 1 can Aldi organic pinto beans — $0.99 — $1.741/2 bag organic blue corn chips Aldi — $2.19 for 1 bag — $1.09chopped cilantro chopped green onions (Aldi) — $0.35

Instructions

Finely chop the onion and garlic.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and stir in the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until tender.

Add the ground turkey and continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

Stir in all of the seasonings until well-mixed.

Add in the beans, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth and stir well.

Bring to a boil over low heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Top with crumbled corn chips and chopped cilantro and green onions.

Notes

*Alternatively, you can use 1 Tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon each onion and garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.

There are so many toppings you can add to customize it! Think shredded cheese, crumbled corn chips, sour cream, chopped green onions, cilantro, sliced jalapeños, or chopped avocado.