Thick Dutch Oven Chili In Oven Recipe

Looking for a cozy, hands-off dinner? This Dutch oven chili in the oven is hearty, flavorful, and practically cooks itself while you relax. A hearty meal perfect for any time of year!

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This chili recipe is part stew, part casserole, and all comfort! It’s baked in the oven for mess-free, hands-off cooking that doesn’t’ sacrifice flavor. The long-simmered dish is protein-packed with tender ground beef, sausage, and just the right amount of spice. 

If you’re a fan of thick, flavorful chili, you’ll love this cooking style!

Why You’ll Love Making Dutch Oven Chili in Oven

• Hands-Off Cooking: Once you’ve added all ingredients and put the pan in the oven, there’s no need to stir or monitor constantly — just check occasionally, giving you freedom to do other things while dinner practically cooks itself.
• Perfect Texture: The even heat distribution of a dutch oven ensures that the meat becomes tender and the beans cook evenly, while the heavy lid traps moisture, preventing the chili from drying out and helping all ingredients reach the ideal consistency.
• Ultimate Flavor Development: The gentle, consistent heat of the oven combined with the dutch oven’s excellent heat retention allows the spices and ingredients to meld together over several hours, creating deeper, richer flavors than stovetop cooking.
• Feeds a Crowd: Perfect for meal prep, game day, or family dinners — it makes plenty and tastes even better as leftovers.

🍲 I can’t tell you how many times a simple baked beans recipe has turned a regular meal into a “wow, this is amazing” moment at home!

Recipe Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• Ground beef — lean
• Ground sausage
• Onion — yellow
• Garlic
• Black beans — canned
• Tomatoes — canned
• Tomato sauce
• Green chilies — canned
• Bay leaves
• Chili powder
• Oregano
• Cayenne pepper
• Pepper

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Dutch Oven Chili Recipe

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325ºF. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the beef, sausage, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain if needed.

Pro Tip: Before you start cooking, be sure to drain and rinse the black beans very well. You want to remove as much of the starchy liquid as possible.

Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and bake 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer. Remove bay leaves and discard.

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

• Great Cookbook: This recipe was slightly adapted from The Big Book of Casseroles. This is a great cookbook, and I do love a good casserole (or stew, or soup)!
• Meat Options: You can use any kind of sausage you like for this recipe. I usually use sausage that’s sold in the breakfast meat area of the grocery store. Kielbasa, chicken sausage, or chorizo would all work well, too. 
• Break It Up: I like to use a meat chopper to easily break the meat into smaller crumbles as it cooks. You can also use a wooden spoon.  
• Rest Time: Let the chili rest for 15-20 minutes after removing from the oven with the lid slightly ajar. This allows the fats to redistribute and flavors to settle

Great Toppings for Dutch Oven Chili

Turn your oven-baked chili into a DIY dinner with a fun toppings bar! Our favorite toppings for this chili are: 

• Shredded cheddar
• Chopped green onion
• Sour cream
• Diced avocado
• Chopped cilantro
• Frito scoops or tortilla chips

Other Ways to Serve Oven-Baked Chili

But that’s not the only way to enjoy this chili recipe. Here are four more fun and versatile ways to serve up your stew:

1. Chili Fries: Spoon thick chili over homemade or store-bought french fries. 
2. Chili Dip: Top the chili in the casserole dish with shredded cheese, diced onions, sliced jalapeños, and bake until the cheese is melty and hot. Add cilantro and serve with Frito scoops.
3. Chili Baked Potato: Top hot baked potatoes with steamed broccoli, chili and cheese. Pop them under the broiler to melt the cheese before serving. 
4. Taco Salad: Scoop the chili on top of crisp lettuce and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips. 
5. Cornbread: Any chili is truly comforting when served with a slab of delicious homemade cornbread!

How To Store Leftovers

If you have leftover chili, you can store it for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Or freeze the chili for up to three months. Let it defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove. 

More Soup & Stew Recipes to Consider

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4.43 from 7 votes

Thick Dutch Oven Chili In Oven Recipe

Looking for a cozy, hands-off dinner? This Dutch oven chili in the oven is hearty, flavorful, and practically cooks itself while you relax. A hearty meal perfect for any time of year.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Calories: 390kcal

Author: Melissa Griffiths

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep

Equipment

• Ground Meat Chopper
• Microplane Classic Zester
• Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons, Set of 6 for Measuring Dry and Liquid Ingredients

Ingredients 

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• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 30 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed (2 15-oz cans)
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes (1 can)
• 15 ounces tomato sauce
• 4 ounces green chilies (1 small can)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325ºF. 
• In a Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the oil.
• Sauté the beef, sausage, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
• Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and bake 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer. Remove bay leaves and discard.
• Serve with sour cream, sliced green onions, or grated cheddar cheese.

Notes

• Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Casseroles.
• You can use any kind of sausage you like for this recipe. I usually use sausage that’s sold in the breakfast meat area of the grocery store. Kielbasa, chicken sausage, or chorizo would all work well, too. 
• I like to use a meat chopper to easily break the meat into smaller crumbles as it cooks. You can also use a wooden spoon.  
• Let the chili rest for 15-20 minutes after removing from the oven with the lid slightly ajar. This allows the fats to redistribute and flavors to settle.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 1324mg | Potassium: 786mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 478IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 4mg