This Ground Beef and Beans Chili Is Right For Game Night! [Recipe]

This ground beef and beans chili is the perfect meal for preserving your food and then having a cooked meal whenever you need it. Whether you like to camp, do a road trip every once in a while, or you just want to save your beef from going bad, this is the perfect recipe.

Try Making This Ground Beef and Beans Chili For Family and Friends

To prepare this ground beef and beans chili you need a white onion, ground beef, cooked red beans, bread crumbs, minced garlic, diced tomatoes, salt, red chili powder, and tomato puree.

You can substitute some of these ingredients for other foods. Try using ground turkey, ground pork, ground chicken, black beans, black-eyed peas, Panko, garlic powder, tomato sauce, paprika, and cumin. If you want to make the recipe vegetarian and vegan, try using crumbled seitan instead, or just double up on the beans for more protein.

Making this recipe should not take you more than one hour. But make sure you simmer your chili until it is thickened enough. Always check in on it so it does not burn. You can then allow for the chili to cool down and turn on your dehydrator.

I like to set my dehydrator to about 145 degrees F. While it warms up, you can prepare the trays by lining them with parchment paper and spreading the chili evenly. How much chili can go on at once depends on the size of the dehydrator you have, but make sure you do not place too much of it on all at once.

Chili may take up to 10 hours to be completely dehydrated. As with other dehydrating jobs, you may want to check the chili halfway through, so it does not burn.

Once the chili is dry, allow it to cool down entirely. Place it in plastic bags, and store these in a dry place that is away from the light or heat.

Ground Beef and Beans Chili

Cuisine: Diabetes-Friendly, Heart-Friendly

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) ground beef

• 15 oz (375 g) cooked red beans

• 14 oz diced tomatoes

• 10 oz (250 g) tomato puree

• 1 large white onion, peeled, chopped

• 1/2 cup (64 g) ground bread crumbs

• 3 tbsp red chili powder

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp minced garlic

Directions

• Using a large bowl, combine the ground beef and bread crumbs. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat.
• Add the onions and garlic and cook for for 5 minutes until softened.
• Add in the ground beef. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the chili powder and cook for another 1 minute.
• Mix in the beans, tomatoes and tomato puree.
• Simmer for 1 hour.
• Remove pot from heat and cool for 10 minutes.
• Preheat dehydrator 145 F (62 C).
• Line parchment paper on the dehydrator trays.
• Spread chili mixture in a thin layer.
• Put the dehydrator trays in the preheated dehydrator.
• Secure the cover and let the chili dry for 8 – 10 hours until the mixture is completely dry.
• Once done, turn the dehydrator off, open the lid and let the chili cool for 30 minutes.
• Break the chili into small pieces and move them evenly between 3 plastic bags.
• Store them in a cool, dark, and dry place.
• When ready to be consumed, use a medium pot to heat a bag of chili over medium heat.
• Pour in 1 cup of water, stir in oil and bring mixture to boil.
• Switch heat to low and cook the chili until it rehydrates. About 1 minute.
• Serve with Pita chips and enjoy!

Looking to try another tasty dehydrator recipe? Check out this Chili Lime Beef Jerky recipe!