There’s nothing like a bowl of hearty, flavorful chili, and while it’s great served alone, wait until you try these epic chili sides! These recipes and ideas will turn your favorite batch of chili into a full course meal.
My paleo chili is one of the most popular recipes for my family and meal plan members. Made with veggies, lean ground meat, and all the right spices it’s thick, hearty, and serves as the base for each of the ideas below. Of course, you can also serve up epic ground chicken chili or turkey chili with any of these sides too.
What to Serve with Chili
Below, you’ll find different “vessels” to serve with chili, like baked potatoes, tacos, and nachos, these ideas are sure to be a winner with the kids.
Load up a baked sweet potato with a hefty portion of chili, cheese, and sour cream. It’s smoky, savory, and the kind of comfort food that’s good for you.
A taco night favorite with leftover chili and all your favorite taco toppings. Heads up: things do get a little messy but it’s totally worth it.
Swap the marinara sauce for my All Meat & Veggie Chili, it will turn this appetizer into a real meal.
- Cornbread- you’ll find a great recipe in this post
- Bell Pepper Nachos– swap it for the ground beef in this recipe.
- Big bowl of rice
Finger Foods that Go with Chili
These items are best used for dunking into chili and finishing up the last bit of sauce in the bowl. Everything from homemade rolls to cheesy bread you won’t regret any of these decisions.
Nothing like a buttery, pull-apart soft roll to dunk into hearty chili. It soaks up the flavor of the chili and makes spoons optional.
These baked cheesy breadsticks aren’t just for soup and salad, they go great with chili too.
A perfect grilled cheese, sliced into dippers, and dunked into chili? Yes, please!
Healthy Chili Sides
While chill can be a very hearty meal, it doesn’t have to be heavy. With these healthy sides, you’ll leave the table feeling good, not weighed down. These ideas go perfectly with my low-carb chili recipe.
A grain-free biscuit that acts like a regular biscuit for sopping up the last bit of chili from your bowl. This recipe is made with almond flour for a tender soft center with firm, crisp edges.
These have a savory and sweet flavor of baked sweet potato fries and make a lighter option alongside this bowl of low-carb chili.
Perfectly roasted asparagus spears make a healthy and lighter side dish for any meal. One bite and you’ll see why I suggest serving it with chili.
Chili Toppings
Whether you are serving chili to a crowd or for an easy weeknight meal you can’t go wrong with setting up a chili bar and a ton of toppings to choose from. Below you’ll find classic add-on’s like cheese and sour cream as well as some new ideas that will definitely kick the flavor up a notch.
- sour cream
- shredded cheese
- sliced avocado
- tortilla chips
- pico de gallo
- Avocado Salsa
- crumbled cornbread
- Easy Guacamole
- Chopped cilantro
- diced red onion
- pickled jalapeños
Which of these sides will you serve with your chili this fall?
Pam Cadd
Chili dogs! In the winter, we like to cook hot dogs in our wood burning fireplace. This may make the healthy food folks shudder (though I get the all-beef dogs that have the fewest additives), but it’s fun way to gather for an informal meal. We like to top them with our homemade chili.