Ground Beef Chili – served 4 ways! Chili Cheese Fries, Frito Pie, Chili Dogs, Chili Cheese Fries, and Smothered Chili Cheese Baked Potatoes all start with a really amazing Ground Beef Chili Sauce. Make a big batch and eat it all week! It’s not a traditional chili (it has no beans), but I guarantee you’re going to fall in love with this recipe like I have. It’s fast, saucy, smoky, and a tiny bit spicy.
I’m just going to just admit it…Chili Dogs are my guilty pleasure. As a foodie, I’ll try almost anything (and the more unusual the food the better), but I’ll also eat a Chili Dog any day of the week. When I found out the Washington State Fair was cancelled this year (which also cancelled my favorite Chili Dog), I got busy developing my own recipe. But then I realized this sauce can be used so many different ways!
Chili Sauce
This Chili Sauce is as basic as it gets…hamburger, onion, and a few spices. But I want to talk to a minute about a few of the ingredients.
The recipe calls for tomato sauce, just the regular old-fashioned canned tomato sauce pictured below. The recipe also uses 1 cup of beef broth. But because a can of beef broth has 1 3/4 cups of broth, and I hate to throw away extras, I use 1 cup of water and combine it with 1 teaspoon of “Better Than Bouillon” beef base.
Lastly, I use 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke in this recipe for a shortcut smoky flavor! At first I thought liquid smoke was the most unnatural ingredient in the world, but it’s actually naturally derived. Here’s the description from the back of the bottle:
“The smoke of burning hickory is condensed and combined with spring water to create Wright’s liquid smoke, a 100% natural seasoning”. I’m sold!
Here’s a picture of just the basic sauce…
Chili Cheese Fries
For this variation, just bake some frozen waffle fries in the oven and top with chili sauce, cheese, and green onion. Easy and delicious!
Frito Pie (also known as Walking Tacos)
I don’t know why Fritos are always the last chips left after my kids pick their way through the combo pack of chips from Costco. But I’ll never complain, because I just cut the bag open and pile on all of my favorites…chili sauce, cheese, red onion, avocado, and sour cream (I also like to add beans when I remember to). Clean up is so easy!
Chili Dogs
I’ve already talked about my beloved chili dog, we’ll be friends for life. Toast a bun, grill a hot dog, and pile it high with chili and cheese. Repeat!
Loaded Chili Cheese Baked Potatoes
This variation is probably the healthiest option of the four listed, but it’s every bit as good as the others (except my beloved chili dog…). Scrub a potato and coat it in vegetable oil and kosher salt, bake until cooked through (link to a post on perfectly baked potatoes found below). Cut the potato open and pour on chili sauce, cheese, green onions, and sour cream.
Here’s the recipe!
Ground Beef Chili Sauce – Served 4 Ways!
1 small white onion, 1/4” dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon chili powder (ancho chili powder if you have it!)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (the condiment, not the powder)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup beef broth (I used “Better than Bouillon” combined with water)
1/2 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke, optional
Directions:
In the bottom of a medium size stock pot, sautee onion, garlic, and ground beef. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of grease. Add spices, cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add tomato sauce, beef broth, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until thickened. Serve as Chili Cheese Fries, Frito Pie, Chili Dogs, or Loaded Chili Cheese Baked Potatoes (see directions and pictures above). Enjoy!
If you liked Chili with Beans, here is another favorite!
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