As a working mom with four little ones, there never seems to be enough time in the day. When dinnertime rolls around, I’m left scrambling to figure out what to make—ideally, it's something that's nutritious, crowd-pleasing and easy to throw together.
In a recent search for new dinner ideas, I was thrilled to come across Ree Drummond’s Simple, Perfect Chili recipe. It’s a simple, easy one-pot meal (which means fewer dirty dishes) and seemed like something that my whole family would be into. What’s not to love?
I also loved that it wasn't just any chili recipe. I was interested to see that Drummond uses masa harina, the fine corn flour that's used to make tamales (among other things), to thicken up the chili and add another layer of flavor to the dish. As a bonus, this dish is packed with protein from ground beef and two types of beans, so it certainly checks the nutritious box.
To see how this recipe would play with my crew, I headed to the kitchen to give it a try. After reading the recipe, I was pretty certain that the "simple" promise in the recipe title would prove true, but would this dish be "perfect" for my family? Read on for all the details of my recipe test, plus everything you need to know to make this dish at home.
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What Are People Saying About the Pioneer Woman's 'Simple, Perfect Chili'?
Courtesy Korin Miller
People don’t hold back when it comes to recipe comments, but the reviews for this chili on the original Food Network post are overwhelmingly positive. The chili has an impressive average of 4.5 out of 5 stars, with fans raving about everything from the flavor to how easy it is to make.
“Very fast and tasty,” one wrote. “Family loved the recipe,” another said. Several shared that this has become a staple recipe for them, with many reviewers saying that they've been making the recipe for years.
The masa harina gets plenty of props, too. "I love the use of masa in this," one home cook wrote. "I would have never thought to use it for chili and have never seen it in any other chili recipe, but it absolutely works and adds the perfect texture and flavor."
While most reviewers had nothing but good things to say about this recipe, I noticed several others flagged one issue I came across, too. (Keep reading for more on that.)
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Ingredients Needed for the Pioneer Woman's Chili
Courtesy Korin Miller
This recipe calls for pretty basic ingredients, though you might need to run to the store for the masa harina if that's not something you have in your pantry. To make this recipe, you'll need ground beef, garlic, canned tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper and masa harina. This chili gets a double dose of beans, so you'll need to pick up canned kidney and pinto beans.
After that, it's all about the toppings, which are customizable, of course. Ree suggests shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onions, tortilla chips and lime wedges, but use what you like. Related: How to Make Chili 10x Better, According to My Chef-Husband
How To Make the Pioneer Woman's Chili
If you’ve made chili before, a lot of this recipe will feel familiar. (You can find the full version at Food Network’s website.)
Courtesy Korin Miller
To start, brown the ground beef and garlic in a large pot over medium heat. Once the beef is fully browned, drain off the excess fat and put the meat back into the pot. Add the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne and give everything a good stir.
Courtesy Korin Miller
Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer the mixture for an hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture looks dry, add ½ cup of water at a time.
After an hour, mix the masa harina with some water to create a slurry (like a paste, but more liquid). Add this mixture to the chili, stir it well and adjust the seasonings based on your personal taste.
Courtesy Korin Miller
Add the beans and let the chili simmer until it's thickened and the beans are heated through, which should take about 10 minutes.
Courtesy Korin Miller
Serve the chili with shredded cheddar, onions, tortilla chips and lime wedges.
Related: I Tried Ina Garten’s Chicken Chili and It’s the Coziest Winter Comfort Meal
The Pioneer Woman's 'Simple, Perfect Chili': My Honest Thoughts
Courtesy Korin Miller
The quick and easy cooking process made this chili a winner in my book from the start. It took me maybe seven minutes of prep time total. The rest of the time, I was simply stirring or keeping a loose eye on the concoction on my stovetop—easy-breezy.
But I noticed something in the recipe that didn’t seem right, and I even checked with my husband (who is a chef) to make sure I wasn’t overthinking things. The recipe calls for 2 pounds of ground beef, along with plenty of beans, but only asks you to add an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce.
According to the recipe, you should let this simmer for an hour, but that’s not a lot of liquid. Once I added the tomato sauce, the meat was barely coated, so there was nothing to simmer. And this isn’t just a “me” issue, either—plenty of people in the recipe's comment section flagged the same thing.
Drummond does say that you can add ½ cup of water to the mixture if it becomes dry, but you’d need to do this from the start and keep adding water in order to prevent the meat from drying out and burning. You’ll also risk diluting the flavors if you go that route.
To prevent all of that, I went rogue and added another 8-ounce can of tomato sauce. I found that amount worked perfectly and gave the mixture enough liquid to simmer and let those flavors meld together as it burbled along for an hour.
The tomato sauce issue aside, this chili is delicious, and adding additional tomato sauce is an easy enough tweak to make. The shining star is really the masa harina, which infuses a corn flavor into the dish. It tastes like you’re eating the chili with corn chips or even cornbread, and it's a flavor combo that works incredibly well. It also doesn't hurt that this dish is packed with protein and fiber, too.
One slightly more subjective issue that I found was that the called-for amounts of seasoning weren't enough for my taste, so I added in some chipotle seasoning and ½ teaspoon more salt. To really bring out all those flavors, make sure you add in a squeeze of lime—that hint of citrus really helps the savory flavors in the chili pop.
As a final note, it’s worth pointing out that this recipe yields a really big pot of chili, so you’ll likely have leftovers. Luckily, the chili stores and reheats well. Like most chili recipes, the flavors are even more delicious once they've had some time to mix and meld.
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3 Tips for Making This Chili
Courtesy Korin Miller
If you're planning to make this recipe, here are three things I'd suggest.
You’ll likely end up with burnt meat if you try to simmer the mixture for an hour with only the amount of tomato sauce that’s recommended. You can add more canned tomato sauce or, if you don’t have any on-hand, dump in a little beef or chicken stock or even some marinara sauce. (Water would work too, but keep in mind that it might dilute the flavor.)
2. Experiment with the seasoning
The flavor profile of this dish is tasty, but it seemed a little under-salted to me. Don’t be afraid to taste as you go and tweak the recipe to suit your personal tastes, and even toss in a few of your favorite seasonings or spices to customize the flavor profile.
3. Consider veggies
Chili purists might not love this idea, but veggies like corn, zucchini, sweet potatoes or mushrooms would all be tasty in this chili (and add a nutritional boost). You could even toss in some spinach right at the end for a pop of green.
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