The Canned Ingredient You Need For Quick Chili That Tastes Like It Simmered All Day

Part of why chili tastes so good is because all of those ingredients often spend hours simmering on the stove or in the slow cooker, allowing their flavors to marry and create a deeper taste. If you want chili that tastes slow-simmered but don't have the time to let it sit on the stovetop for hours, then reach for one easy ingredient you can keep right in the pantry: canned chili.

Canned chili, when paired with other ingredients, delivers that slow-simmered flavor without the fuss. Hormel, a popular canned chili brand, offers a no-beans chili made with ingredients like beef and pork, chili powder, sugar, and salt, so that iconic chili taste is already there with spices that have settled into the sauce and meat. You can eat canned chili it on its own, and it's easy to enhance it — but in this case, it's best if it plays more of an "enhancer" role. Pair it with ground beef, veggies, and jarred tomato sauce, then let everything cook together for just a few minutes. The end result is a "homemade" chili that didn't take nearly as long as it tastes.

The ingredients you pair alongside the canned chili won't take long to prepare. Add some ground beef, and cook it until brown, which takes less than 10 minutes. Other flavor enhancers like diced onions and garlic can be added in with the beef and don't take long to soften and cook down.

The remaining ingredients can all come right from a can. Black beans or kidney beans, tomato sauce, and even some pickled jalapeños or canned Rotel tomatoes for a little spice. Add in any additional seasonings you want. Some more chili powder, a little onion powder, and some extra salt to taste will all build nicely on this dish. To serve this ready-in-minutes chili, pour it into a bowl and just top it with a dollop of sour cream or shredded cheese. For an even heartier meal, you can serve it over rice or noodles.