Cowboy Chili and Next-Day Chili Mac (Easy Halloween Night Dinner)

A big pot of chili is the easiest dinner for a busy night like Halloween. Make it in the afternoon, keep it warm on the stove and everyone can grab a bowl whenever they come in.

This is the Cowboy Chili from my Ranch Raised Cookbook. When we have a hard, all-hands job like branding, this is what feeds the crew afterward. And if there are leftovers (it does not happen often at our house!) we turn them into chili mac the next night. My girls love it so much I sometimes make a double batch of chili just to make sure we have enough.

What makes a good chili?

Good ground beef, real spices and time. Starting with good meat, tallow and spices makes a pot of chili easy and full of flavor without any seasoning packets.

Cowboy Chili

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: about 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes: 6 to 8 servings (about 2 1/2 quarts)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons M5 cooking tallow or olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 2 pounds Five Marys dry-aged ground beef
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water or Five Marys Beef Bone Broth
• For the top: shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack, sour cream, chopped green or red onions

Directions

1. Warm the tallow in a big heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and starting to brown, about 8 minutes.
2. Turn the heat to medium-high, add the ground beef and cook until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in all the spices with the salt and pepper until it smells amazing.
4. Add the beans, both cans of tomatoes and the water or broth. Bring to a boil, then turn it down to low.
5. Simmer about 1 hour, stirring now and then, until thick and rich. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick. Taste and add more salt if it needs it.
6. Serve with cheese, sour cream and onions on top.

Next-Day Chili Mac and Cheese

Serves: 6. You need 4 cups of leftover Cowboy Chili.

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Cook 1 pound elbow macaroni in salted water about 4 minutes, just shy of done. Drain and rinse with cold water.
3. In the same pot, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in 1/3 cup flour, then slowly whisk in 3 1/4 cups whole milk. Simmer 2 minutes, then whisk in 8 ounces shredded white cheddar. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the pasta.
4. Spread 4 cups warm leftover chili in the baking dish, spoon the mac and cheese over the top and bake about 20 minutes, until bubbly and golden at the edges. Let it sit 5 minutes.

A few notes from our kitchen

Make it your own. Leave out the beans, double them, swap pinto for black beans. It is very forgiving.

Put out a toppings bar. Cheese, sour cream, onions, jalapeños, avocado. Everyone builds their own bowl.

Serve it with cornbread. Skillet cornbread with honey butter is in the cookbook too and it is the perfect partner.

Where this recipe comes from

This one is from my first cookbook, the Five Marys Ranch Raised Cookbook, with a few shortcuts from how I make it now. You can grab it on Amazon or get a signed copy from us here.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Shop this recipe

• Dry-Aged Ground Beef
• Five Marys Beef Bone Broth
• M5 Cooking Tallow Sticks
• Miracle Mix Vaquero Taco Blend and our salts and spice blends

Looking for more easy ground beef dinners? Here are five of our favorites for busy weeknights.

Quick answers

What is the best ground beef for chili?

Ground beef with some fat in it, around 80/20 to 85/15. Ours is dry aged, so it has a deeper beef flavor that stands up to all the spices.

How long should chili simmer?

About an hour on low. That gives the spices time to bloom and the chili time to thicken.

Can I make chili ahead?

Yes, and it is even better the next day. It keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freezes well.

Can I make this chili without beans?

Absolutely. Leave them out, or add more if you love them.

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