Warm-You-Up Chili Recipes

This hands-off, slow-cooker recipe has just a pound of ground beef and a can of stock. All the rest of the heft and taste comes from black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, chipotle peppers and corn tortillas.

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Long, slow simmering melds flavors in this recipe from The Spice House in Evanston, Illinois. 

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Short on time? Move the slow-cooker setting for this mild white chili recipe to high. If you like, serve in store-bought bread bowls. 

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This chili is great for tucking into your slow cooker in the morning, so you can come home to a warm winter dinner. Omit the meat if you'd prefer a hearty meatless main dish. If you like, add chopped avocado or shredded cheese as toppers before serving. 

Fresh apple, dried fruit and cashews add color, sweetness and crunch to a ready-in-45 vegetarian chili. For a twist on the traditional toppers (and to hint what's inside), garnish with apple slivers. 

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Combine chicken, chopped vegetables and canned beans for a warm and comforting chili. This recipe gives variations for Slow Cooker Chicken Chili as well as a spicier Chipotle Chicken Chili. 

Locals spar over whether Skyline or Gold Star makes the better version (and whether the secret ingredients should be cinnamon, cocoa or allspice). Whichever, chili in the Queen City translates as a mild, meaty sauce served over spaghetti noodles and topped with shredded cheese. 

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Sweet potatoes and apples hold their own with spicy chipotle chilies in this perfect sweet-heat balance. Does it take a lot of peeling and chopping? Yes. Is it worth it? Oh, yeah. 

Many vegetarian chilies eat more like soups, but ours is built to satisfy a meat-lover. Bulgur wheat and mushrooms combine to mimic the texture and flavor of ground beef; chili powder, smoked paprika and chocolate stout lend deep, authentic flavor without a long simmer. 

Cook pork in a blend of cocoa powder, cumin, cinnamon, pumpkin and poblano pepper for a rich, hearty chili. 

Related: Our Best Pork Recipes

Hominy is the signature ingredient in this traditional, chili-like Mexican soup. 

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Chili, a one-pot meal, is a dinner table staple at many Midwest firehouses. Lansing Fire Chili comes from Lansing, Michigan's Fire Station 8. The recipe uses beef roast and pork sausage, plus a surprise ingredient: a chocolate bar. (If you prefer less spicy chili, omit the jalapeno pepper.) 

It's everything cherry at Michigan's Cherry Republic stores. Put their tangy fruit salsa to good use in this white bean and chicken chili. 

White chili typically combines chicken broth, navy beans or Great Northern beans, chicken and flavorings for a stew that tends to be milder than the beefy red chili recipes. You can still adjust the heat up or down, though, by using more or less chilies and red pepper. Our White Surprise Chili (recipe above) has been a favorite with readers for years. Our Southwestern White Chili recipe uses canned beans for a quicker-cooking chili. 

This recipe, submitted by Melanie Madore of Ashland, Missouri, was a finalist in a Midwest Living recipe contest. Unlike many pumpkin chilis, what sets this one apart is using cubed pumpkin (or butternut squash) rather than canned. 

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The meat lovers in your family will love this chili, which combines beef and bacon. Mix a classic cheddar topper with fresh oregano for a new twist. 

This recipe has been passed down from firefighter to firefighter over the years at Fire Station 1 on Mulberry Street in Des Moines. The recipe we received, based on 8 pounds of ground beef, serves 15 to 20 people— or 10 firefighters. We trimmed it down to 2 pounds of beef, which should make 8 to 10 servings at your house. A firefighter describes this chili as "spicy without being too hot to hurt you." 

This quick and easy chicken chili takes just 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook. Serve with assorted toppers such as sour cream, low-fat yogurt, chopped red onions, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and chopped avocado. 

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Crushed tortilla chips, stirred into the chili's base, give this dish a lusciously creamy texture. Put it together in just 20 minutes. 

Another quick-fix recipe, this chili uses a variety of canned or ready-to-eat ingredients, including salsa, black beans, vegetable juice and turkey kielbasa. 

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When we asked for readers' best chili recipes, Midwest cooks submitted dozens. We found that innovative ingredients—whiskey, red wine, cocoa powder and molasses—work magic on the basics of meat, beans and, of course, chilies. Three-Bean Beauty Chili was one of the winners. 

Pumpkin, dried cranberries, jalapeno peppers, and turkey add an unusual flavor twist to slow-simmering chili. 

Related: 20 Ideas for Leftover Turkey

This chili comes from the Firehouse Brewing Company in Rapid City, South Dakota. Chocolate takes the edge off the tangy tomato flavor. The chili won first place at the Black Hills Stock Show Chili Cook-Off.

This five-ingredient dinner, flavored by ground pork or beef and pineapple salsa, goes together in just 20 minutes.

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