Easy Beef Chili Colorado
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You know I love quick and easy dinner dishes! You have to check out my Easy Beef Chili Colorado. Hearty and comforting this dish is perfect for anytime you want a zesty beef stew for dinner. Try this Mexican stew for a change up to your regular dinners, the whole family will love it.
What is Chili Colorado? Tender pieces of beef cooked to tender perfection in a zippy chili sauce. Top it with fresh sour cream, shredded cheese, diced avocado, and whatever
Easy Chili Beef Stew
How did I make this “easy” Chili Colorado? I used pre-made enchilada sauce instead of making homemade chili sauce. using dried peppers and whipping them up in the food processor. This cut out the step of soaking, cooking, pureeing, and straining dried peppers to make the sauce. So simple!
If you want to you can absolutely use a combination of guajillo chiles and ancho chiles to make your own sauce! But occasionally I have a hard time finding dried peppers up here in the grocery stores. We don’t have a dedicated Mexican Market up here either! So a big can of red enchilada sauce works well if you can’t find the peppers you want to make the red chili sauce in this chili colorado recipe.
And while this recipe isn’t AS good as a chili recipe made with dried peppers, it can easily be made in a few hours on the stove with easy-to-find ingredients so I call that a win!
I will warn you though, this recipe does get a little spicy depending on your chosen enchilada sauce. So choose a low-heat enchilada sauce if you need to for kids. Or if spice is NOT your thing use mild. And may I suggest La Victoria brand enchilada sauce, our kids found it mild
If you prefer a medium heat go for a medium-heat chili sauce go for it, or that hot enchilada sauce. Or amp up your sauce by adding cayenne pepper powder or go a smoky flavor with chipotle powder!
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- heavy dutch oven
- wooden spoon
- shallow bowl
- beef chuck roast, or round steak, or pre-cut stew meat
- red enchilada sauce
- salt
- garlic
- pepper
- chili powder
- Mexican Oregano
- flour
- beef stock or hot water, you could also use chicken stock if that’s what you have
What Kind of Beef??
Any stewing or braising beef will work in this recipe. Those are typically tougher cuts of meat that work really well braising, long slow cooking in liquid is where it’s at! If you need to use it, round steak works really well too. it’s not AS juicy and tender as a chuck cut but it works and it does taste great.
HOW TO CUT THE HEAT IN SPICY FOOD
If you really want to cut the heat in this dish add a dollop of sour cream. The fats in dairy products will cut the heat and make it more palatable for you. Also, try having a glass of milk with dinner!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS CHILI?
This Chili Colorado is great served with hot cooked white rice, Mexican Rice, or even just flour tortillas or corn tortillas to dip in the luscious red chile sauce. Or make it a plate and add rice and refried beans, a bowl of chili, and add a stack of tortillas. Add sour cream, shredded cheddar, and maybe some diced avocadoes to make it even better.
Got Leftovers?
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Easy Chili Colorado
Ingredients
- cooking oil
- 3/4 cup of flour
- 2 teaspoons garlic granules
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 12/ – 2 pounds chuck roast stewing beef, round steak
- 2 cups water or use beef broth
- 28 ounce can red enchilada Sauce
Instructions
- mix the flour, garlic, black pepper, and salt in a large flat bottom bowl or pie pan, set aside
- pour enough cooking oil in a large dutch oven, 4 qt size, to cover the bottom, turn heat to medium
- cut the beef in cubes, toss with the flour and brown it in batches in the hot oil, adding more oil between batches
- put browned beef in a bowl to catch any juice
- once all the beef is browned add 1 1/2 cups of the water to the hot pan, watch out for steam!
- cook and scrape up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan
- stir in the enchilada sauce
- use the remaining 1/2 cup water to swish around in the sauce can and get the last of the sauce, pour in the dutch oven
- add the beef back to the dutch oven
- stir and bring the stew up to a simmer
- reduce heat, cover and gently cook for at least 90 minutes
- serve with hot rice or warmed tortillas
Nutrition
Love long-simmered soups and stews? Try my Homemade Beef and Noodles for dinner just like Grandma used to make!
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the Chili Colorado recipe is so easy and tasty that I will be doing this recipe again
Yeah glad to hear it!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. Is there any difference between enchilada sauce and red chili sauce? I see la victoria makes both.
I want to say they’re similar.