Mild Family Chili: One Pot, Toppings for Kids, Heat for Grown-Ups

The trick to a chili everyone at the table will eat is to cook the whole pot mild and let people add heat in their own bowl. This one is beef, kidney beans, tomatoes and a little corn, simmered for 30 minutes, with a toppings spread so kids can make their bowl as plain or as loaded as they like. It makes enough for dinner tonight and a second meal from the freezer.

Serves: 6 to 8 (about 10 cups / 2.4 L) · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 45 minutes · Kid-friendly: very. It is mild, soft and easy to mash for little ones, and toppings let picky and adventurous eaters share one pot.

What you need

• 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup / 150 g)
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced (about 1 cup / 150 g)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 lb (900 g) ground beef, 85–90% lean
• 2 tbsp (16 g) mild chili powder
• 2 tsp (5 g) ground cumin
• 1 tsp (2 g) sweet paprika (not smoked hot paprika)
• 1 tsp (1 g) dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp (9 g) salt
• 2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
• 1 can (28 oz / 794 g) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans (15 oz / 425 g each) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup (240 ml) low-sodium beef broth or water
• 1 cup (150 g) frozen corn

Chili powder blends vary a lot in heat, so read the label and pick one sold as mild. If you only have a hot one, start with half and taste once it has simmered.

For the table: shredded cheddar, sour cream or plain yogurt, extra corn, sliced green onion, diced avocado, tortilla chips, and for the grown-ups, chili flakes and hot sauce.

How to make it

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon and cook for 8–10 minutes, until no pink is left. USDA guidance for ground beef is 160°F (71°C); with crumbled meat, no pink and a quick thermometer check of a thick clump is enough.
3. Spoon off most of the fat if there is a lot in the pot. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring, so the spices toast in the fat.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, beans and broth. Scrape the bottom of the pot to lift any browned bits.
5. Bring it to a gentle bubble, then lower the heat, half-cover with the lid and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so it does not catch on the bottom.
6. Stir in the corn and simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste for salt. If it is thicker than you like, add a splash of water; if it is thin, simmer uncovered for a few minutes.
7. Let it sit off the heat for 5 minutes before serving. Chili holds heat for a long time, so cool kids' bowls first.

Wash your hands with soap after handling raw beef, and keep the spoon you used for raw meat out of the finished pot.

Mild for kids, hot for grown-ups

Once heat is in a pot of chili, you cannot take it out. That is why this recipe stops at mild and leaves the rest to the table. Grown-ups can stir chili flakes, a pinch of cayenne or hot sauce into their own bowl, while kids add the toppings they like.

If your family all likes some heat but the kids want less, scoop the kids' portions into a separate small pan after step 6, then stir 1/4 tsp cayenne into the big pot and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Setting the toppings out in bowls works the same way as a baked potato bar night: kids choose what goes in their own bowl. Leftover chili also makes one of the best potato bar toppings there is.

Making it work for younger kids

• Under 4s: mash some of the beans with a fork, let the chili cool well, and crush tortilla chips into small crumbs or leave them out. Hard, sharp-edged pieces are tricky for small children to chew, and the AAP advises softening or cutting hard foods small for children under 4.
• Toddlers: serve it a little thicker, so it stays on a spoon, with cheese stirred in to cool it down.

Jobs for kids

• Ages 4–7: drain and rinse the beans in a colander, measure the spices into a small bowl, and spoon the toppings into serving bowls.
• Ages 8–12: dice the pepper with a small knife and an adult watching, open the cans with an adult nearby (cut lids are sharp), and stir the pot on low heat with an adult beside them.
• Teens: make the whole pot, including browning the beef, with an adult around the first time.

An adult handles the hot pot and pours the chili into bowls for younger kids. The same age-by-age approach is in homemade pizza with kids if you want more ideas for kitchen jobs.

Allergen swaps

• Dairy: the chili itself has none. Skip the cheese and sour cream, or use dairy-free versions.
• Gluten: the recipe uses no wheat, but some chili powder blends, broths and tortilla chips contain it or are made alongside it. Check the labels if you need it gluten-free.
• Soy: some broths contain soy; read the label or use water.
• Eggs, nuts, sesame and shellfish: none in the recipe, so leftovers suit nut-free school lunches.
• No beef: ground turkey works; cook it to 165°F (74°C), the USDA temperature for ground poultry. For a meat-free pot, use a third can of beans and 1 extra cup (150 g) of diced vegetables such as zucchini or carrot.

Storing, freezing and reheating

Get leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours. A big pot of chili cools slowly, so USDA advice is to divide it into shallow containers first. It keeps for 3–4 days in the fridge.

To freeze, portion it into freezer containers, leaving a little space at the top. USDA's cold storage chart gives soups and stews 2 to 3 months in the freezer for best quality. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Reheat in a pan over medium heat with a splash of water, stirring, or in the microwave, stirring halfway, until it is steaming hot and reaches 165°F (74°C), the USDA temperature for reheated leftovers.

For a hot school lunch, fill an insulated food jar with boiling water, leave it for a few minutes, empty it, then add steaming chili and close it tightly. It is the same idea as keeping a packed lunch cold, the other way round.

If you like having dinners ready in the freezer, the make-ahead turkey meatballs work on the same plan: one batch, several nights. On a night when you would rather not stand at the stove, the one-pot chicken and rice is just as mild and spends most of its time in the oven.