A 5-Ingredient Chili That Tastes Like It Took All Day (But It Didn’t)

A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big, BIG everything else: flavor, ideas, wow factor. Psst: We don’t count water, salt, pepper, and certain fats (say, olive oil to dress greens or sauté onions), since we’re guessing you have those covered. This week, we’re proving that weeknight chili is possible.

There are lots of Big Little Recipes already out in the world. Ones that are big on flavor, little on ingredient lists. A Spanish tortilla, for example, has three ingredients: potatoes, onions, and eggs. A grilled cheese sandwich has two: bread and cheese. Roast chicken has one: uh, chicken. And shortbread has three: flour, sugar, and butter.

Then there are what I like to call Big Big Recipes: big flavor, big ingredient list. Like chili. This time around the block, we’re making a vegetarian chili (carnivores, stay put!), so let’s peruse some like-minded recipes:

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The vegetarian chili in The Joy of Cooking calls for 12 ingredients: carrots, bell peppers, onions, garlic, jalapeños, chili powder, ground cumin, canned tomatoes, canned kidney beans, canned cannellini beans, canned black beans, and tomato juice. This one from Serious Eats’ The Food Lab has 15. And this one from Cookie & Kate has one more than that. Which makes sense. Chili should be rich and spicy and hearty and, above all else, flavorful. Adding more flavors is one way to accomplish this.

Finessing existing flavors is another.

In this recipe, five ingredients transform into a bean chili cozy enough to compete with your favorite sweater, in one pot, in less than an hour. Most of this is inactive, meaning this is the sort of recipe you can make while changing into PJs, setting up that episode of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, opening a bottle of wine, feeding your cat, and calling your grandma.

Here’s how we’ll get the most out of each ingredient:

Salt at every step

If you don’t have a salt dish on your counter, go grab a ramekin or bowl and fill ’er up. Salt is an honorary Big Little ingredient because it’s just that important. Here especially. Like many chili recipes, this one comes together cumulatively—you sauté this, then add that, and on and on. Salting at each step builds up to a full-flavored, well-seasoned result.

Use the Beans Two Ways

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Most ground meat chilis start the same way: Brown the meat. Not only does this create a crispy texture, but all those seared edges add deep flavor. Some vegetarian chilis make up for this by adding umami-rich ingredients like soy sauce. This one makes up for it by pretending beans are beef. It’s easier than it sounds: Just chop up 1 can of beans, add to a hot pan, and don’t touch. We shall lovingly call these “crispies.” Later on, we’ll add another can of whole beans for that chunky chili vibe. (Psst: I love kidney beans here for their large size and crimson color. But this is a personal matter, as I learned from our Hotline. Use whatever bean you like best.)

Fry the Chili Powder

Frying spices is an invaluable technique. In Indian cooking, it goes by many names, like tarka. In American cookbooks, it’s sometimes referred to as blooming, which is just what happens to the dried spices’ flavors: They bloom. Chili powder sometimes gets flack in the chili world as a lesser alternative to rehydrating a slew of dried chilis and making chili paste. But it’s convenience is unparalleled. And now its flavor can be too.

Pick a Midway Pepper

In addition to chili powder, a lot of chili recipes include sweet bell peppers (for chunky bulk) and hot peppers like jalapeños (for kick). Poblanos bridge these gaps. They’re relatively mild, but bring a little more personality to the mix.

Never Underestimate Butter

Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce is famous for its butter, which turns canned tomatoes into something so good, you’ll eat it from a wooden spoon standing over the stove (trust me). Turns out, this works with chili too. In addition to the small amounts of butter used to cook the beans, spices, etc, an extra knob at the end goes a long way, rounding out the chili into something that seems like it needed a lot of ingredients and took a lot of time, but didn’t. That can be our (big) little secret.

What’s your favorite bean for chili? Tell us in the comments!