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    🏠Home » Recipes » Appetizer and Party Recipes

    Chili Nachos

    Aug 23, 2021 · Modified: Oct 27, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 6 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.43 from 14 votes

    Tailgate foods usually include nacho and chili. Cover both with this delicious, easy crock pot shredded beef chili you can serve in a bowl or on nachos loaded with cheese and other toppings. Great chili makes excellent nachos.

    Jump To:
    • 👨‍🍳How to make this recipe
    • ♨️The Chili
    • 🇲🇽Nachos
    • 📖Crock Pot Chili Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe
    • Chili Nachos

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    Fall is rapidly approaching, and football season is starting, so that means tailgating or game parties. Serve this great shredded beef chili in a bowl or create some impressive nachos—your choice.

    I have many excellent chili recipes, but my wife's favorite beef chili is my Crock Pot Chili. It is just a great classic red ground beef chili. A little tuck here, a little change there, and I had my plan. I did cross-check some other recipes, but I like mine best.

    👨‍🍳How to make this recipe

    1. Chop onion and green pepper. Mince or crush 2 cloves garlic.
    2. Trim a 2-3 pound chuck roast.
    3. Add ingredients to a 4 quart or larger crock pot, mix well, then add the chuck roast and get some of the ingredient mixture on top of the meat.
    4. Cook on low for 8 hours but at the 7-hour mark, remove the chuck roast and shred. Discard any waste and add the shredded beef back to the crock pot.
    5. Eat straight up as chili, or make some impressive nachos.

    ♨️The Chili

    What beef to use in the chili?

    A nice chuck roast or similar with good marbling will cook and shred well, giving a wonderful deep beefy taste and tenderness.

    How to adjust the heat in the chili.

    Adjust the heat to your taste with the cayenne pepper and if you want to kick it up, add a jalapeno.

    How to adjust the thickness of the chili.

    If you want a normal-thickness chili, then 2 cups of broth. If you want a very thick nacho topping, then no broth. And if you want to use it for both, use 1 cup.

    Can I cook ahead, and how to store it?

    Absolutely. Chili is always better the next day. It is good refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3 months.

    Can I use different chili?

    Of course, you can use any chili. But this homemade shredded beef chili is much better than almost any other chili it can use here. And please, no canned chili.

    🇲🇽Nachos

    There are no rules for nachos. Make them with the chili or other meat and every topping available. Or just simple cheese nachos. They are the ultimate easy "have it as you like it" appetizer or meal.

    The best cheeses are Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or one of the Mexican cheese blends, but use any cheese you like that melts well. If added on top of hot chili, the cheese will melt nicely. But a brief microwave will help. I don't suggest Velveeta or the liquid cheese sauces for nachos.

    Other suggested toppings are green onions, diced tomatoes, pickled or fresh jalapenos, and sour cream are the most common toppings.

    Other typical toppings include guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, and black olives.

    📖Crock Pot Chili Recipes

    Ultra Simple Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

    Crock Pot Chili - Classic ground beef chili

    Low Fat High Taste Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

    TAILGATE RECIPE ROUNDUP

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Appetizer and Party Recipes, Chili Recipes, Crock Pot Recipes, Featured | Chili Recipes, Mexican Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    Chuck roast with chili ingredients.

    Very standard-looking chili components.

    Chuck roast trimmed on white board.

    Start with a 2 to 3-pound chuck roast. Trim off any trimmable fat.

    chopped green pepper on black board.

    Chop one large onion and one green pepper. Mince or crush two cloves of garlic.

    adding trimmed chuck roast to the crock pot.

    Add onion, green pepper, 28 oz kidney beans (drained and rinsed), 28 oz diced tomatoes, 6 oz can tomato paste, 2 cloves crushed or minced garlic, 6 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Work the beef into the crock pot mixture.

    mixing ingredients in the crock pot.

    Be sure to get some on top of the beef. Add 1 cup of beef broth but adjust between 0 to 2 cups for your desired thickness. Also, ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste is optional. And if you're adventurous, then one jalapeno minced.

    shredding beef on a white board.

    Cook on low for 8 hours or 4-5 hours on high total. With one hour left, remove the beef, shred and replace in the crock pot for the last hour.

    a ladel full of shredded beef chili.

    Eat straight up as chili or make some fantastic nachos. This should also reheat great or freeze.

    graphic with nachos and a bowl of chili.
    Serve as nachos or in a bowl.
    graphic Subscribe to 101 Cooking for Two

    📝Recipe

    chili nachos topped with sour cream on blue plate with cheese and tomatoes

    Chili Nachos

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Tailgate foods usually include nacho and chili. Cover both with this delicious, easy crock pot shredded beef chili you can serve in a bowl or on nachos loaded with cheese and other toppings. Great chili makes great nachos.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.43 from 14 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 8 hours
    Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 12 cups

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric

    Shredded Beef Chili

    • 2-3 pound chuck roast - trimmed
    • 1 onion - large diced
    • 1 green pepper - diced
    • 2 cloves garlic - minced or crushed
    • 28 oz red kidney beans - 2 cans drained and rinsed
    • 28 oz diced tomatoes - 2 cans
    • 6 oz tomato paste
    • 6 tablespoons chili powder - yes tablespoons
    • 2 teaspoons cumin
    • 1 teaspoon oregano
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 cup low-sodium beef broth - adjust to desired thickness (0 to 2 cups)
    • ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional to taste
    • 1 jalapeno pepper - minced Optional

    Making Nachos

    • Tortilla corn chips
    • Cheese of choice. - Cheddar or Monterey Jack is good.
    • Toppings - Green onions, pickled or fresh jalapenos, and sour cream
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Use a crock pot that is 4 quart or larger. Start with a 2 to 3 pound chuck roast. Trim off any trimmable fat.
      Chuck roast trimmed on white board
    • Chop one large onion and one green pepper. Mince or crush 2 cloves garlic.
      chopped green pepper on black board
    • Add onion, green pepper, 28 oz kidney beans (drained and rinsed), 28 oz diced tomatoes, 6 oz can tomato paste, 2 cloves crushed or minced garlic, 6 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Work the beef into the crock pot mixture.
      mixing ingredients in the crock pot
    • Be sure to get some on top of the beef. Add 1 cup of beef broth but adjust between 0 to 2 cups for your desired thickness. Also, ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste is optional. And if you're adventurous, then one jalapeno minced.
      Chuck roast trimmed on white board
    • Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. With one hour left, remove the beef, shred and replace in the crock pot for the last hour.
      a ladel full of shredded beef chili
    • Eat straight up as chili or make some impressive nachos. This should also reheat great or freeze.
      shredded beef chili in a blue bowl
    • Makeup nachos with corn tortilla chips and toppings of your choice.
      chili nachos topped with sour cream on blue plate with cheese and tomatoes
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. If you want a normal thickness chili, then 2 cups of broth. If you want a very thick nacho topping then no broth. And if you want to use it for both, 1 cup.
    2. This makes about 12 cups of chili and needs a 4 quart or larger crock pot.
    3. The chili can be made ahead and stored refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3 months.
    4. I suggest Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or one of the Mexican cheese blends—any cheese you like that melts well.
    5. Green onions, pickled or fresh jalapenos, and sour cream are the most common toppings. Other toppings include guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and black olives.
    NUTRITION is calculated for 1 cup of chili and not chips or toppings.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Chili Nachos
    Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
    Calories 264.5 Calories from Fat 89
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 9.9g15%
    Saturated Fat 4g20%
    Trans Fat 0.5g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1.3g
    Monounsaturated Fat 4.6g
    Cholesterol 52.2mg17%
    Sodium 478.6mg20%
    Potassium 951mg27%
    Carbohydrates 24.3g8%
    Fiber 8.1g32%
    Sugar 4.5g5%
    Protein 22.6g45%
    Vitamin A 1598.4IU32%
    Vitamin C 20.4mg25%
    Calcium 80.8mg8%
    Iron 5.6mg31%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : American|Mexican

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Originally published February 15, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    1. Adrian

      February 01, 2019 at 1:07 pm

      Hello, thank you for sharing. Would it be possible to replace the chuck roast for beef and cook on high? If so, for how long?

      Reply
      • DrDan

        February 01, 2019 at 1:50 pm

        Hi Adrian,
        Second question first. This will cook fine in 4 hours on high.
        Now the first question. I'm not quit sure what you are asking. The chuck roast can be replace with other beef. I frequently will just use stew meat. But if you substitute a lean beaf like eye of round or sirloin, it won't shred well.
        Hope that helps. Reply again if you have you need clarification.
        Dan

    2. Ashley

      September 30, 2018 at 10:25 am

      I’ve got this in the crock pot now with a few minor changes based on what we had on hand for beans and tomatoes. You list this as 8 servings, how big are the servings? 1 cup? 1 and a half cups? Thank you!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        September 30, 2018 at 10:32 am

        Hi Ashley,
        Welcome to the blog.
        Without the added broth, it is about 1 1/2 cups per serving. The broth can add up to 1/4 cup to that depending on how much you add.
        Dan

    3. Chris

      February 22, 2017 at 8:26 pm

      Those nachos look to die for!

      Reply
    4. Denise Holstege

      February 19, 2017 at 4:52 pm

      That looks awesome. I will be trying it when we return from our Texas vacation and I have all my home spices and cooking utensils

      Reply

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