Best chili recipes are quite the heated topic when it comes to picking top winners based on flavor, texture, spices/ingredients, and time to make. You want quality, but you want it quick. And now… you can have it. Here are 5 fresh and fast chili recipes.

1. 30-Minute Chili

(Image via marthastewart.com.)

A fast recipe with very accessible ingredients, this 30-minute recipe by Martha Stewart will leave you speechless by how delicious and time-saving it was. You’ll be wondering, “Was this really legal?” …Don’t worry, you can trust your celebrity chef on this one.

Time to make: 30 min

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 medium onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 pounds ground beef chuck
3 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice
1 bottle (12 ounces) mild lager beer
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

2. Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili

(Image via myrecipes.com.)

Vegetarians and vegans, fret not! Of course there is a great animal-free recipe! In fact, with three healthy beans in the equation (pinto, cannellini, and red kidney), non-vegetarians should give this a shot too.

Time to Make: 1 hr 45 min

Ingredients:

2 red bell peppers
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups organic vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

3. Cha Cha’s White Chicken Chili

(Image via allrecipes.com.)

We’ve already crossed the line with vegetarian chili, so let’s cross yet another line with… chicken chili! (*Gasp!* Don’t report us to the chili police!) Delicious, healthy, easy, and quick, this chicken chili recipe is bomb. (Not an actual bomb–seriously, don’t report us.)

As you savor the succulent chicken, it’ll make you deeply rethink as to whether or not we should be doing things the way we do just because we’ve always done them that way.

Time to make: 30 min

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

4. Chili Con Carne

(Image via bbcgoodfood.com.)

On a conservative note, this BBC’s Good Food recipe is a prized recipe of avid defenders of traditional chili (yes, the pro-beef, anti-vegetarian, and anti-chicken right wings). And yet, it has some add-ons you can’t resist! ;o

Time to make: 50-70 min

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil
1 large onion
1 red pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder (or 1 level tbsp if you only have mild)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
500g lean minced beef
1 beef stock cube
400g can chopped tomatoes
½ tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato purée
410g can red kidney beans
Plain boiled long grain rice, to serve
Soured cream, to serve

5. Easy Chili

(Image via chow.com)

A well-done chili without putting your life on hold, this Chow recipe covers the basics to a successful chili while saving you confusion and precious time. Sometimes, you just gotta take it easy, especially with all this drama and chili politics.

Time to make: 45 min

Ingredients: