Meaty 4 Bean Chili
Author: Heather Scholten · Posted: Oct 12, 2015 · Updated: May 27, 2025
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If you like your chili meaty and hearty, then this Meaty 4 Bean Chili is calling your name! It’s easy to make and packed with deliciousness.
We have been having THE BEST fall on record. It’s been sunny, 60’s or 70’s and I have been in heaven. The only negative is that my brain says “BBQ something because its warm outside”, but my stomach says “make chili or soup because it’s fall darnit”.
I gave in today and made a big humongous pot of meaty chili today and loaded it with 4 different beans. The house smelled just the way fall should smell. Well almost, it would’ve been even perfecter with pumpkin cookies baking in the oven too. 😉
This chili recipe has 2 kinds of beef. Ground and chunks of stew meat. The oldest kid said “I’m kinda diggin these chunks of beef”. Yeah, me too kid. Me too. I’m sure I’ll hear that some of you don’t think chili should have beans, but I personally like having beans in my chili, so if you want, omit them.
While the chili was bubbling away I took the opportunity to photograph a few of the toppings.
I’m in the process of teaching myself how to use a Canon. I’ve been a Nikon girl for the longest time, but we bought a Canon for work and, well, I figured I’d better get it figured out. I’m still trying to figure out the color and focus.
This would be a great recipe in the slow cooker/crockpot. Make as directed, but when you get to the point of adding the spices, add the meat & onions to the slow cooker and proceed with adding spices, tomato, etc. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 8 hours.
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Meaty 4 Bean Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 medium yellow onion, diced small
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound stew meat, cut into 2 inch cubes
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 12 oz lager, or other light beer
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes, canned
- 2 tbsp garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups beef stock
- 15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz Great Northern white beans, drained and rinsed
Toppings
- cilantro, chopped
- avocado, sliced
- green onions, sliced
- cheddar cheese, shredded
- sour cream
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large heavy pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon and remove to a bowl. Heat up the pot again and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the ground beef and stew meat and brown until the chunks are no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, salt, cumin, cinnamon, and black pepper and stir to combine. Pour in the lager and stir for a minute or two.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, beef stock, and all of the bean varieties. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 2 hours. Ladle into bowls and top with toppings of choice.
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Recipe Nutrition
* Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Recipe By:
Co-Founder at Spiceology | More About Heather…
Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.
I really love this recipe and hope you will too!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I am very excited about the 2 cuts of beef used in the recipe!