Tomato soup chili is a minimal ingredient recipe, only needing a large can of tomato soup and 6 other ingredients. Perfect for a simple dinner packed with hearty comforting flavors.
We aren't big fans of tomato soup around here, but we somehow find tomato soup in the cupboards now and again. We buy it. We just don't eat it. Although it does pair well with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, we often forget it exists, and the cycle repeats.
With the kids not enjoying tomato foods (except ketchup and spaghetti), it's hard to find an excuse to cook it up. This is why I found a way to repurpose it into something we can all agree on.
Making chili with tomato soup is simple, easy, and a wonderful way to use up those unwanted or unused cans of soup. Adding in a few beans and some meat, we have a warm and comforting dish the kids can love, especially when I serve it with some Jiffy Cornbread With Cake Mix!
Why This Recipe Works
- It's minimal effort. Just a few ingredients and steps and you're done and waiting for it to simmer to perfection. The longer your chili cooks, the deeper the flavor profile and the more it thickens up too.
- It's customizable. Want more chunks? Want to bulk it up a bit? Add in a can of drained tomatoes, and add in some more meat or beans. There's so much room to play with this recipe and the results are always fabulous.
- It's pretty cheap. This recipe is just a little over $2 per serving, and it's made with simple ingredients, so you know exactly what's going in it.
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🥘 Ingredients
Olive oil- You will need some olive oil for greasing the pan and cooking the onions in. It will promote even cooking.
Onion- For a deeper flavor profile, adding in a diced onion works great.
Ground beef- You will need some ground beef for this recipe. I usually use about ¾ cups of ground meat when I'm trying to Save Money by Stretching Meat, but you can easily add in up to 2 pounds if you want it really meaty.
Mixed chili beans- Adding in mixed chili beans will give us a nice variety of beans and added flavor thanks to the liquid in the cans.
Chili powder- For added flavor, add in some chili powder. You can add in more or add in a packet of chili seasoning blend instead.
Garlic- Everything is better with a little garlic. Adding in garlic will give us a more aromatic dish, but my husband says you can easily double or triple the garlic here.
Tomato soup- You will need a few small cans or one large can of condensed tomato soup. The brand doesn't matter. This is the base of the recipe and it will give us a really creamy broth.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make Tomato Soup Chili with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Place a Medium sized pot over medium heat and add in the olive oil and diced onions.
Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are softened. They should appear translucent.
Add in the ground beef.
Cook until the meat has browned, breaking it up as you go. Drain any excess grease and return the pot to the heat.
Add your garlic and chili powder to the pot.
Stir well to combine.
Add in the tomato soup and the cans of mixed chili beans. Do not drain the beans beforehand.
Stir gently to combine.
Bring the pot to a boil ad then reduce the heat to low. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. The chili will be thick but stir occasionally to prevent burning.
The flavor will get better the longer it cooks because the flavors can meld together.
Serve warm with cornbread and your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
🧾 Substitutions
Beans. If desired, you can use (3) 15-ounce sized cans of any beans. Black beans, navy beans, kidney beans, etc. Drain the beans before use. You may wish to add in a little water (about 1 cup) and some additional seasonings to the chili to make up for the loss of liquid and flavor.
Ground beef. You can swap out the ground beef for ground turkey, chicken, or pork sausage, depending on what you have on hand or would prefer. Spicy Italian sausage works great for a nice kick of heat!
📖 Variations- Slow Cooker
Brown the onions and ground beef in a skillet and drain the grease. Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. Serve warm, and enjoy.
🍴 Recipe Tips
This chili recipe is a wonderful base to play with and customize to your own tastes. It's very creamy too, thanks to the tomato soup consistency.
Make sure that you stir the chili every few minutes or so so that it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan, as the contents could settle and stick to the bottom of the pan.
For a fun trick, try to stand your wooden spoon straight up in the center of the pot of chili. This is a fun way to test how thick your chili is, and it just looks neat.
🍳 Reheating
I like to reheat my chili one serving at a time in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 minutes, with a paper towel loosely covering the top. This helps to keep it from splashing around and making the microwave messy if it gets too hot. Stir halfway through for even cooking.
🥗 Side Dishes
You can serve this chili with just about anything your heart desires. A lot of families serve their chili with Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, but we prefer cornbread like our Cornbread Bundt Cake. A simple green salad also works great!
⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
This is one of those recipes that we like to meal prep in advance (like a day or two before we want to eat it). This is because chili flavors get so much better as the chili ages.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Keep this chili well covered or in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Alternatively, you can freeze the chili in an airtight container and thaw it overnight in the fridge before heating and serving.
🥣 Recipe Add-Ins
Add in just about anything to make this chili unique and fun. Find yourself with carrots, corn, diced tomatoes, or bell peppers? Add them to the chili and enjoy! (Fresh veggies should be added with the onions and cooked until softened.)
💭 FAQs
Condensed tomato soup is a little thinner than tomato sauce, but they can both be used interchangeably. While it won't thicken the soup it will give it a creamier consistency.
Chili is a type of Tex-Mex cuisine that is more like a stew than anything else. To be considered a chili, there is a solid to liquid ratio that shows there is more solids than liquids. It should be mostly meat or veggies and simmered in a tomato sauce base.
You can thicken chili by adding in a cornstarch slurry of 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch or by adding in a small can of tomato paste. This chili recipe is pretty thick as-is and may not require any additional thickening agents.
More great soup recipes to check out soon
- Stove Top Beef Stew
- Easy Zucchini Corn Chowder
- Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
- 5 Ingredient Instant Pot Chili
📖 Recipe
Tomato Soup Chili
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil ($0.26)
- 1 Large Onion, diced ($0.70)
- 1 pound Ground beef ($3.37)
- 3 cans (15oz) Mixed chili beans ($2.34)
- 2 teaspoon Chili powder ($0.20)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced ($0.05)
- 1 can (26oz) Condensed Tomato soup ($1.64)
Instructions
- Place a Medium sized pot over medium heat and add in the olive oil and diced onions.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are softened. They should appear translucent.
- Add in the ground beef.
- Cook until the meat has browned, breaking it up as you go. Drain any excess grease and return the pot to the heat.
- Add your garlic and chili powder to the pot.
- Stir well to combine.
- Add in the tomato soup and the cans of mixed chili beans. Do not drain the beans beforehand.
- Stir gently to combine.
- Bring the pot to a boil ad then reduce the heat to low. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. The chili will be thick but stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- The flavor will get better the longer it cooks because the flavors can meld together.
- Serve warm with cornbread and your favorite toppings, enjoy!
Notes
Substitutions
- Beans. If desired, you can use (3) 15-ounce sized cans of any beans. Black beans, navy beans, kidney beans, etc. Drain the beans before use. You may wish to add in a little water (about 1 cup) and some additional seasonings to the chili to make up for the loss of liquid and flavor.
- Ground beef. You can swap out the ground beef for ground turkey, chicken, or pork sausage, depending on what you have on hand or would prefer. Spicy Italian sausage works great for a nice kick of heat!
Variations- Slow Cooker
- Brown the onions and ground beef in a skillet and drain the grease. Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. Serve warm, and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- This chili recipe is a wonderful base to play with and customize to your own tastes. It's very creamy too, thanks to the tomato soup consistency.
- Make sure that you stir the chili every few minutes or so so that it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan, as the contents could settle and stick to the bottom of the pan.
- For a fun trick, try to stand your wooden spoon straight up in the center of the pot of chili. This is a fun way to test how thick your chili is, and it just looks neat.
Reheating
- I like to reheat my chili one serving at a time in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 minutes, with a paper towel loosely covering the top. This helps to keep it from splashing around and making the microwave messy if it gets too hot. Stir halfway through for even cooking.
Make Ahead Instructions
- This is one of those recipes that we like to meal prep in advance (like a day or two before we want to eat it). This is because chili flavors get so much better as the chili ages.
Storage
- Keep this chili well covered or in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Alternatively, you can freeze the chili in an airtight container and thaw it overnight in the fridge before heating and serving.
Recipe Add-Ins
- Add in just about anything to make this chili unique and fun. Find yourself with carrots, corn, diced tomatoes, or bell peppers? Add them to the chili and enjoy! (Fresh veggies should be added with the onions and cooked until softened.)
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