How To Make Chili With Fresh Tomatoes – The Perfect End Of Summer Recipe

There is nothing quite like a big bowl of homemade chili on a cool fall day – especially when you can make it with fresh tomatoes, peppers and onions picked straight from the garden!

By the time late summer rolls around, the garden is usually still producing plenty of tomatoes. But after weeks of making and preserving salsa, pasta sauce and tomato juice, the thought of canning another batch can be less than exciting.

That’s when we start using the final harvests of the season to make some of our favorite comfort food recipes. And one of the best ways to put those ripe tomatoes to good use is to make a big pot of homemade chili.

Instead of reaching for cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, this recipe starts with fresh garden tomatoes. Add in fresh peppers and onions, ground beef, beans and a few simple seasonings, and you have a hearty chili packed with incredible garden-fresh flavor.

It is also a great recipe for using those tomatoes that aren’t quite perfect enough for canning. As long as you cut away any blemishes or damaged areas, those odd-shaped or slightly overripe tomatoes can be put to delicious use.

We also use our late-season harvest to make recipes like our Homemade Vegetable Soup, Zesty Pepper Soup and Creamy Tomato Basil Soup. It’s an easy way to enjoy everything the garden is still producing without having to preserve every last vegetable.

Make Extra To Freeze

Or we will make an extra batch and freeze it for a quick and easy, garden fresh meal in the middle of winter.

To make everything stack neatly in our freezer, we use plastic rectangle containers to make our Famous Soup Bricks.

There is just something satisfying about pulling out a block of fresh garden chili on a cold and snowy day in the middle of winter. Not only is it warming and delicious, it also provides us with hope, excitement, and anticipation of next year’s garden.

Fresh Garden Chili Recipe

*Complete recipe instructions including specific measurements, cook temperatures and times are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to keep reading for helpful tips and tricks when making this recipe.

*makes approximately 8-10 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

• Butter
• Onions
• Ground beef
• Garlic
• Fresh tomatoes
• Red or green bell peppers
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Chili beans
• Smoked paprika
• Ground cumin
• Chili powder
• Jalapeno (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

The first step in making garden fresh chili is to determine whether or not that you want to peel the fresh tomatoes. Although I don’t bother with process of removing the skins from the tomatoes, I know that some people don’t prefer having small peels floating in their bowl of chili.

If you do want to remove the skins, simply place the whole tomatoes in a pot of boiling water. Let them stay in the hot water for 45 seconds. Once the time is up, quickly remove them and place them in an ice bath.

Once they are cool enough to handle, use a small paring knife to make a slice in the bottom of each tomato. The peels should then easily come off.

Now it is time to dice the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into approximately 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch sections and place them in a large measuring bowl.

How Many Tomatoes Do I Need?

You need 8 cups of diced tomatoes for this recipe. Although I would love to give you an exact amount of how many tomatoes that you will need, it would be very difficult to do so.

However, I can give you a little guidance in terms of weight. Two cups of chopped tomatoes equals approximately 1 pound.

Therefore, because this garden chili recipe calls for 8 cups of diced fresh tomatoes, you will need 4-5 pounds of tomatoes. I added extra weight due to the fact that you will be cutting off the tops and any bad spots on the tomatoes.

Now that you have the tomatoes cut and measured, it is time to prepare the other vegetables.

Start by dicing the onions and bell peppers. If you like your chili with a little extra heat, add in a diced jalapeno pepper as well.

Set the diced vegetables aside and place a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Then add the butter to the pot.

Once the butter melts, add the diced onions and saute until they begin to soften. This will take approximately 4-5 minutes.

Next, add the ground beef and garlic to the pot and cook until the beef is fully cooked and no longer pink.

Ground Beef Substitute

To make this chili a little healthier, substitute ground turkey, chicken or plant based crumbles in place of the beef.

You could also use a combination of beef, turkey and/or chicken. The choice is up to you.

Once the meat is cooked and the garlic is fragrant, add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a slow simmer.

Place a lid on the pot and let the garden chili simmer for at least an hour so that the fresh tomatoes can break down and release their juices.

Be sure to stir the pot often to prevent anything from sticking or burning on the bottom surface.

Serve immediately or let cool and freeze for later use. Store any leftovers in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

Can I Use Canned Tomatoes

If you don’t have fresh tomatoes to make this chili, you can use canned tomatoes instead. If you canned diced tomatoes in pint jars, use two full pints, undrained.

However if are using store-bought, canned goods, you will need 2-15 oz cans of diced tomatoes.

Then also add 2-15 oz cans of tomato sauce to the chili as well.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 16 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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