Easy Three Bean Chocolate Chili

This Easy Three Bean Chocolate Chili is your new favorite go-to dinner recipe!

This post was sponsored by Nielsen-Massey and I received products for review and recipe development. All opinions are entirely my own, especially the one about how delicious that Pure Chocolate Extract smells.

This Chocolate Chili is rocking my world right now! I’m always on the hunt for easy weeknight dinner recipes. At the end of the day, I have five hungry people to satisfy and never as much time as I’d like to make it happen. Finding something that everyone likes adds another level to my daily dinner dilemma. But one simple fall-back that I can always count on is Chili.

Over the course of my parenting-cooking years, I’ve made a lot of chili recipes. Many of those recipes are forgotten, but some get put on repeat, like Jenny Rosenstrach’s Turkey Chili, which I often have a bag or two of in the freezer just for good measure. Others make it into our regular repertoire, like our family favorite Vegetarian Quinoa Chili, which is almost a weekly ritual now.

And then there are a select few that are crowned Hall of Fame recipes. Only a few bites into this Easy Three Bean Chocolate Chili, we unanimously gave it Hall of Fame status. It’s that good!

What makes this Chili special is the added chocolate flavor. It doesn’t actually taste like chocolate, but the chocolate flavor enhances the chili in taste bud exploding ways. No joke!

I’ve made a few chocolate chili recipes before, adding a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to the chili, but none of them were memorable and I didn’t make them twice. I think where all the magic happens in this particular Chocolate Chili recipe is in the spices and extracts.

Instead of using cocoa powder, I used Nielsen-Massey’s Chocolate extract, which smells as dreamy as it tastes. Then, to enhance the chocolate and chili flavors even more, I add just a little bit of Nielsen-Massey’s Coffee extract. With the extracts and a pinch of cinnamon added to the ordinary chili spices, this Chocolate Chili really is an explosion of delicious flavor!

The chili has a good ratio of beans to meat, with beans winning slightly. However, if you like a meatier chili, just increase the meat to 1 ½ or 2 lbs and decrease the beans to only 1 or 2 cans. I’ve tried it both ways and they both work well.

This hearty, warm Chocolate Chili is a rich, satisfying meal. Based on years of research (read: eating chili for dinner) in my personal lab (read: kitchen table), I am declaring this the most deliciously, flavorful chili recipe of all time.

Yield: 6

Easy Three Bean Chocolate Chili

Print

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Chocolate Extract
• ¼ teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Coffee Extract
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 3 cups broth
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz) can red beans, rinsed and drained

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.
2. Add the meat, breaking up large chunks and crumbling it with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until meat is completely browned.
3. Crush the oregano leaves in your palms to release the flavor and add to meat mixture. Stir in remaining spices. Add the tomato paste and stir until well combined.
4. Add the extracts, tomatoes with their juices, and broth to the pot. Stir well then bring to a boil. Add the beans then reduce heat to a low, gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered for at least 2 hours.
5. Serve with all your favorite toppings.