Whether or not you’ve watched the titular NBC sitcom The Office, chances are you know all about Kevin Malone and his famous chili. But if you don’t, here’s the gist: in the season 5 episode “Casual Friday” Kevin snags the cold open, in which we see him struggling with a massive pot of chili that he made for the entire office. Unfortunately, disaster strikes, and the rest is history.
In honor of National Chili Day today (February 25), Nerds and Beyond had the chance to recreate and review Kevin’s chili, thanks to Peacock!
As a person who doesn’t love cooking, this chili recipe was perfect. Many of the ingredients are canned items or require little to no prep. Any prep required (like chopping the onions) takes no time at all, something I greatly appreciated.
The directions are easy to follow, and many of the ingredients are added in three main groups, which allows you to keep easier track of which ingredients you have and haven’t already added.
Once everything is in the pan and cooking, it’s only a matter of minutes until it’s ready to serve! That is, in my opinion, the best part — no need to spend hours prepping and waiting for the chili to finish. All you need to do is watch your favorite episode of The Office, and the chili will be ready before the episode ends!
Finally, you’re ready to serve your chili (with additional garnish if you wish) and dig in! And I have to say, mine turned out quite delicious. We may not be able to try Kevin’s chili made by Kevin himself, but this is a pretty satisfactory recipe nonetheless. Keep reading to find Kevin’s chili recipe!
Kevin’s Famous Chili Recipe (courtesy of Peacock)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. 85/15 lean ground beef
- 1 (12 oz.) coarsely chopped yellow onion
- 1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 2 (about 1 oz.) dried ancho chiles
- 1 cup water
- 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Toppings of your choice (shredded cheese, scallions, etc.)
Directions
- Combine beef and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Sauté until meat and onion are browned (the trick is to undercook the onions).
- Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, toasted ancho chilis, and water.
- Season with chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper to taste.
- Boil on a low-heat.
- Simmer for 15 minutes while covered.
- Add the toppings of your choice (shredded cheese, scallions, etc.).
- Enjoy!
One main liberty I took with this recipe is adding beans. I used Bush’s® Kidney Chili Beans in a Mild Sauce. (Brian Baumgartner, who portrays Kevin, took part in a commercial for Bush’s® that you can watch below!) Should you choose to add beans to your chili, any brand of your choosing will work! I also added a dash of cayenne pepper for a little kick.
Thank you to Peacock for providing the recipe! Make sure you try cooking your own batch of Kevin’s chili. And remember, whatever you do, DON’T DROP IT!
Watch Kevin and the rest of the Dunder Mifflin gang’s shenanigans in The Office, now streaming on Peacock.
