Name: Bacon Cheeseburger Chili
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 8 slices bacon (chopped); 2 lbs extra lean ground beef; 1 large green pepper (seeded & chopped); 1 large white onion (peeled & diced); 3 tbsp minced garlic; 1 1/2 tsp cumin; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 3 tbsp chili powder; 1/3 cup ketchup; 2 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard; 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 3 1/2 tbsp dill pickle relish; 2 cups beef broth; 1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes (undrained); 1 can kidney beans (drained & rinsed); salt & pepper (to taste)

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Bacon cheeseburger chili combines all the flavors of two classic comfort foods into one yummy dish. This hearty recipe will be an instant favorite for all burger and chili lovers!

Feeding the sons is tricky.

The rumors about growing boys having big appetites is definitely true!

So I try to make as many stick to your ribs dishes as I can to satisfy them.

And what’s more satisfying than a big old bacon burger or a warm, meaty bowl of chili?

The answer: bacon cheeseburger chili, of course!

This dish combines the flavors of the sons’ favorites in one easy to make dinner we all love.

Ingredients

To make this you need:

Bacon– chop it up and then cook it crispy
Ground beef– go for extra lean ground beef to keep the chili from being too greasy
Aromatics– diced green pepper, white onion and minced garlic
Spices– salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika and a healthy amount of chili powder
Ketchup
Mustard– go for yellow mustard here instead of dijon or grain mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Relish– Dill pickle relish works best
Beef broth
Canned diced tomatoes– Don’t drain them!
Kidney beans– drained and rinsed

How to Make

To make this, start by adding the chopped bacon to a heavy bottomed soup pot.

Cook the bacon, stirring as needed, over medium heat until the bacon is nice and crispy.

Once the bacon is crispy, add the ground beef into the pot and cook it.

While you cook the beef, break it up and stir it often.

When the beef is cooked through and crumbled, add the peppers, onions and garlic to the pot.

Stir to evenly combine the veggies with the meats and then continue cooking just until they’ve softened.

At this point, stir in the cumin, paprika, and chili powder and continue cooking the mixture for another 1-2 minutes.

Now, you can stir in the ketchup, mustard, relish and Worcestershire sauce.

Once the sauces are evenly combined, stir in the tomatoes, beef broth, and beans.

Reduce the heat to medium low and allow the cheeseburger chili to simmer, partially covered, for 25- 30 minutes.

Stir occasionally.

After 25-30 minutes, the chili should thicken nicely and will be ready to eat.

Ladle the hot chili into bowls, and serve them topped with your favorite chili/burger style toppings.

a wooden spoon dipping into a pot of cheeseburger chili

Topping Ideas

One of the most fun parts of eating chili is all the different toppings you can layer on.

For this chili, you can have even more fun with your topping choices and do burger toppings as well.

Some of our favorite toppings for this recipe are:

shredded cheddar cheese
fried onions
chopped pickles
crumbled bacon or bacon bits
sour cream
scallions

Storing leftovers

This recipe stores very well! In fact, if you can, make it a day ahead of time and plan to have it for dinner the next day.

To store the leftover, put them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat in the microwave or on the stove until warmed through and enjoy.

Tips and tricks

Don’t substitute fattier ground beef for the extra lean beef. The bacon adds a fair amount of fat to the dish and subbing the beef for fattier beef will make the chili greasy.
Feel free to drain some excess fat from the cooked bacon.
You can use other kinds of beans if you prefer.
For more heat, add a bit of chopped jalapeno.

Other Chili Recipes You Might Enjoy

This bacon cheeseburger chili is a household favorite.

Make it the next time you want a hearty, warm dinner or can’t choose between chili and cheeseburgers.

Looking for other chili recipes?

Try these:

If you’ve tried this BACON CHEESEBURGER CHILI, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!