Lunch Lady Chili con Carne

Lunch Lady Chili con Carne with Beans – a childhood school cafeteria favorite! Super simple to make and tastes great! Ground beef, onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, cumin, and beans. Can make this recipe on the stovetop or in the crockpot. Makes a ton – great for a crowd! Serve with cornbread for an easy potluck meal!

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Lunchroom Chili con Carne with Beans 

This Lunch Lady Chili con Carne with Beans recipe is another recipe from my government school cafeteria cookbook. It has quickly become a new favorite at our house. It is super simple to make and tastes great!  Ground beef, onion, garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes, beans, and spices. I am pretty sure my lunchroom never served something so yummy! This makes a lot of chili. It is perfect for when you need to feed a crowd! 

How to Make Lunch Lady Chili con Carne

This chili is very easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Start with browning ground beef in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Drain excess grease. Add dried onions, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, and ground cumin to the pot. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in tomatoes, water, and tomato paste. Mix well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer over medium heat until thickened. Stir in beans and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve in bowls topped with cheddar cheese.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

• Can substitute ground turkey or ground pork.
• Feel free to use fresh onion and add green bell pepper to the chili. Add the vegetables to the pot when browning the meat.
  • Add diced green chiles or cayenne pepper for a little kick.
• Can use beef broth for the liquid in the chili for extra flavor.
• You can use any beans that you enjoy. Chili beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, Ranch style beans, or black beans are all great. 
• Don’t like beans in your chili? You can leave them out.
• Can chili be frozen? Yes! Cook the chili and let it cool completely. Transfer the chili to freezer containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • To reheat, thaw and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
• Can I make this chili on the slow cooker? Yes! Brown the ground beef and place in the crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
• Is Chili con Carne gluten-free? Yes. All of the ingredients in this recipe are gluten-free.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

What to Serve with Chili

This chili is crazy good! We love to serve our chili topped with some sour cream, jalapeños, cheddar cheese, a dash of hot sauce, and corn chips. At school, we always had toasty grilled cheese sandwiches with our chili. YUM! 

I usually make a big pan of homemade cornbread at home. This is also great served over some cooked rice or noodles. YUM! Give this a try the next time you need an easy meal the whole family will enjoy!

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Lunch Lady Chili con Carne

Yield: 8 people

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Lunch Lady Chili con Carne with Beans – a childhood school cafeteria favorite! Super simple to make and tastes great! Ground beef, onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, cumin, and beans. Can make this recipe on the stovetop or in the crockpot. Makes a ton – great for a crowd! Serve with cornbread for an easy potluck meal!

• 1¾ lb lean ground beef
• 2 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
• 1¼ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 2¼ tsp chili powder
• ¾ tsp paprika
• ¾ tsp onion powder
• 1½ tsp cumin
• 1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2¼ cups water
• 1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (15-oz) can chili beans, undrained

• Cook ground beef in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain excess grease.

• Add onions, garlic powder, salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, and cumin to the pot. Stir.

• Stir in tomatoes, water, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

• Stir in beans and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

• Can substitute ground turkey or ground pork.
• Feel free to use fresh onion and add green bell pepper to the chili. Add the vegetables to the pot when browning the meat.
  • Add diced green chiles or cayenne pepper for a little kick.
• Can use beef broth for the liquid in the chili for extra flavor.
• You can use any beans that you enjoy. Chili beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, Ranch style beans, or black beans are all great. 
• Don’t like beans in your chili? You can leave them out.
• Can chili be frozen? Yes! Cook the chili and let it cool completely. Transfer the chili to freezer containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • To reheat, thaw and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
• Can I make this chili on the slow cooker? Yes! Brown the ground beef and place in the crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Steph