Bison Three Bean Chili is an easy and healthy dinner recipe full of low-fat ground buffalo meat and lots of hearty beans for a family friendly meal you can feel good about!

Bison Three Bean Chili

Name: Bison Three Bean Chili
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 lb. ground bison, buffalo; 1/4 tsp. pepper; 1/2 tsp. salt; 15.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 16 oz. can seasoned chili beans; 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed; 1 pkg chili seasoning; 1 qt. canned tomatoes

It’s that time of year, at least in Minnesota, where it is so cold we will soon be in sub-zero temperatures. There is basically no dinner recipe better than Chili when you need to warm up after being out in the cold. Even if you are like me, and refuse to brave the cold temps with little kids, it is still a great family friendly dinner recipe everyone will love. My twins are 10 1/2 months and I served them a deconstructed version of this Bison Three Bean Chili and they were big fans! I just held out some of the seasoned meat, beans and chunks of tomato before mixing it all together. They aren’t quite at the stage where then can manage a spoon with soup, so this was a great way to let them enjoy the flavors.

I’m actually doing Baby Led Weaning with my children and it has been the best experience. Around 6-7 months, I started feeding them traditional foods instead of purees. To start with, I gave them lots of soft fruits and vegetables but slowly started introducing breads, shredded meats, grains, etc. as they learned to chew and swallow. I could sit down with them and enjoy my meal while they dug into their food. Not only does it encourage fine motor skills using their pincer grasp early on, it is also believed to help develop healthier eaters. Instead of being force fed with a spoon, children get to choose what and how much they eat. This is believed to lead to less overeating in the long run.

So far my children have been amazing eaters who will eat just about anything. The singular thing that I have found that they dislike is cucumber of all things. For all those seasoned mothers out there, I just want you to know I am well aware that they will probably go on a food strike and start getting pickier over time. 😉 In the mean time, I am enjoying my 15 minutes of rest at each mealtime! 🙂

Bison Chili

The reason I mention Baby Led Weaning is because meals like this Bison Three Bean Chili are something they can enjoy with the whole family. Every mother has to enjoy the simplicity of only making one recipe for dinner time! This particular recipe using Buffalo meat, is beyond easy. It uses a packet of chili seasoning, where you can choose your spice level and adds in canned beans and tomatoes. Let it simmer as long as you like to let the flavors develop, but you can certainly serve it to your family in just 20 minutes when time is of the essence.

Grocery List for Bison Three Bean Chili

ground bison (buffalo)
kidney beans
chili beans
black beans
chili seasoning
stewed tomatoes

Any chili recipe is a great meal to make with things you likely have in your pantry and freezer. I keep plenty of cans of beans and tomatoes in my pantry for precisely this purpose when my refrigerator is running low on ingredients. I was fortunate enough to receive some frozen bison meat from my aunt and uncle that I keep in the freezer which works perfectly for this recipe. You can definitely use regular hamburger for this Chili, but the beauty of Bison is that it is one of the leanest red meats available, which makes for a lower fat recipe. You won’t taste any potentially gamey flavor with Bison either with all of the seasonings added to this dish.

How to make this healthy Bison Three Bean Chili

In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the hamburger as you chop it up and season with salt and pepper. (If you are using a fattier hamburger, you will want to drain the meat before moving on to the next step.)
Add the beans, chili seasoning, and tomatoes; Chop up the tomatoes with your spoon or hamburger chopper as you mix everything together
Simmer the chili for at least ten minutes.
Serve topped with shredded cheese or a grilled cheese for dunking (Be careful because chili really holds it’s heat and you will burn your mouth if you aren’t careful!)

Before I had children and had much more free time on my hands I would bring the guys meals in the field much more frequently. One of my Dad’s favorite meals I brought was chili with a grilled cheese. He jokingly commented that my mother never brought him meals like that when he was working! She stuck to the practical casseroles and cold sandwiches because that worked for her. I like to change things up, so I bought some disposable foam cups with lids to make it easy to transport meals like this Bison Chili.