Italian Style Beef Chili

Italian style beef chili is hearty, satisfying and perfect for feeding a crowd! It has all the familiar and comforting flavors of lasagna, but it’s a chili!

A few weeks ago, I was working on our lasagna soup recipe and totally messed it up. So I improvised, like I often do when recipes don’t turn out the way I hope, and turned that recipe into a chili. It ended up being so fabulous that I had to photograph it and post it here.

Let this be a lesson that sometimes mistakes just end up being happy accidents…thanks Bob Ross!

What is Chili?

Chili is a thick stew that is usually a little spicy and made with peppers, chili powder, meat, tomatoes and often beans.

Ingredients in Italian Style Beef Chili

The ingredients list might seem a little lengthy, but all the components are crucial the developing the full flavor of the chili. Here is what you will need:

• Vegetables: Olive Oil, Red Onion, Garlic, Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper, Jalapeno
• Fresh Herbs: Oregano, Parsley, Basil
• Seasonings and Spices: Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder, Smoked Paprika
• Cheese: Ricotta and Mozzarella Cheese
• Ground Beef: we use 85/15
• Beef Broth: low sodium
• Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
• Marinara Sauce: Rao’s is our favorite brand
• Pinto Beans

This is just an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Make Chili

One of my favorite things about making chili is developing all the layers of flavor that make it so rich and delicious. It takes time but it is really easy. Here are the basic steps:

1. Sauté the vegetables and herbs.
2. Brown the beef and drain the grease.
3. Add the remaining ingredients (except the cheese) and let it simmer for at least a half hour up to all day for maximum flavor.
4. Just before serving, top each bowl of soup with mozzarella and melt in the broiler. Make sure the bowl is oven safe!

The recipe card at the end of the post contains all the instructions in full detail. You can also print or save the recipe there.

What Toppings Go On Chili?

Everyone in my family likes to top their chili with different things so I like to put all sorts of options out and let everyone do their own thing. Some of our favorite toppings are sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt), diced onions, green onions, tortilla chips or corn chips, and more cheese or more fresh herbs.

What Goes Well with Italian Chili?

This chili recipe is hearty enough to stand on it’s own as a meal, but it is my personal opinion that chili should always be eaten with a side of bread for dipping! Here are a few ideas:

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Best Chili Recipe

The best chili recipe I have ever made! It’s packed with ground beef, bacon and 3 kinds of beans with just the right combination of spices for the perfect flavor! Top it off with a little sour cream and shredded cheese, Yum!

You all have been loving our award winning Instant Pot chili for quite some time now, but this one is better. I can’t believe I’m saying that because the Instant Pot version is the bomb, but this is THE BEST!

Now, I’ve actually never been a chili fan. Spicy is not my thing and growing up I didn’t like ground beef and wasn’t a huge bean fan so chili was definitely not my favorite. But then I became intrigued, and all from one story…

My sister once called me later at night and I was juuust about to go to sleep. I knew she’d just been on a date so I answered to hear the details. No. No this was not a, “best date ever” call, but a “you will not believe the awkwardness” call.

He had called last minute and asked if she could pick him up. “Oh sure” she replied, totally not worrying about it as they were nearing the end of college and maybe his car was out of luck. So she picks him up and he tells her he actually doesn’t have a car, or a job, nor is he actually in school. Instead he’s pursuing breakdancing.

Best Thing I’ve Ever Eaten

Which is fine, there’s probably some good ones out there, but as he later showed her, he wasn’t one of them. But I’m distracted. So this kind boy tells her, I’m taking you out for the very best thing I’ve ever eaten. “You’re going to love it,” he says. Right at the light, then head straight down main. Take a left at this light and straight again until it’s on the left hand side. Wendy’s.

Well again, she’s so kind and gives him a chance. They get inside and he orders two baked potatoes with chili. Whhhhhaaaaaa?

This is the BEST thing you’ve ever eaten?

That date didn’t end up going anywhere, haha, but it sure sparked something in me!

Smoked Brisket Chili – 5 Different Ways

Our chili recipes are some of the most popular out there, so it was time to share our mega tasty Traeger smoked brisket chili! And we are sharing 5 different ways to make it – stove top, oven braised, smoker, slow cooker or Instant Pot.

The smoky flavor of the brisket with those bold chili flavors ands spices makes for an outrageously good bowl of chili. I love to top my bowl with shredded cheddar cheese and some sour cream.

I mean, where do I even start? This smoked brisket chili recipe has been living in my brain for probably the past 5-6 years and it has taken me all this time to get it down on “paper”. How weird that we rarely use paper anymore. Remember all those calendars on walls and sticky notes of reminders?

5 Different Ways

Anyway, I always have leftover brisket, those things are huge and my children are small. Therefore, brisket chili. And you don’t need a ton for this recipe…just 1.5 lbs.

I want to help you out so there will be five different versions explained. Please don’t get bugged! I will get questions about making it different ways so I’m just trying to anticipate that and help. The five different ways are stove top, oven braised, smoked, slow cooker and Instant Pot. Then there will be instructions for both uncooked brisket and leftover brisket for each method. Make sense? Sheesh, I hope so! Here we go…

First, I will start by explaining how to brown uncooked brisket if you’re going to go that route…

How to Brown Brisket for Chili

1. Cube the pieces of raw brisket meat – Trim any hard fat as that will not melt away in the cooking process. Remember, the size of the meat is what you’ll be eating so we want no bigger than 2″ pieces (these will break down so you can smash them a bit, creating smaller pieces once cooked).
2. Season the brisket with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in the bottom of a cast iron dutch oven or large pot until shimmering. Cook the brisket in batches, never at once or it will end up cooking in liquid, aka boiled meat. Remove to a plate and proceed with the recipe of your choice, oven braised, smoked, or stove top. 

 Using Leftover Brisket for Chili

If you have leftover brisket either from our smoked brisket recipe or our slow cooker brisket, your steps will be fewer…

1. Because your meat is already prepared, start by cooking the veggies and seasonings first. 
2. Add cubed
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