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The comments below me look good but have you ever considered just rawdogging it?

Some of the best Chili I've made was by throwing whatever I had at it.

Canned tomato sauce, canned beans, an onion or two, whatever seasoning I have on hand, throw a couple bay leaves in there if I'm feeling bougie, throw some bouillon cubes (it says chicken flavor but there's not chicken).

Too thick? Throw a cup of water in there.

Too viscous? Let it simmer down

Have no taste? Season it some more.

I also have some fake ground "beef" I've been using, think it's by Impossible. Just defrost it in the microwave and plop it on the pan and poke the fuck out of it until it's crumbled up. Throw that stuff in the chili as well.

Ok, first, a couple beginner mistakes to avoid:

No grains. Don't go adding rice or quinoa to your chili.

Add beans. There's only one state that's allowed to make chili without beans, and it's not Texas. It's the state of Cincinnati.

Don't use black beans. Just don't.

TVP has a better texture for chili than tofu. Tofu doesn't pick up the flavor and will break down way too much.

No Garlic! People think garlic and onion always go together, not true.

Don't forget the bay leaf (Especially don't forget to remove them after cooking). Aroma is very important.

Coarse ground peppercorns are not fun to find while eating soft beans and veggies. Fine pepper.

Most Worcestershire sauce contains fish, even if it's not listed.

Dry spice isn't just a cute name. Powders burn if you add em before the liquids.

Here are some tips:

Whipped coconut cream with a bit of apple cider vinegar makes a pretty good sour cream.

Diversify your beans. Add some dark and light kidney beans, some fatty beans with some lean beans.

Diversify your chilies. Get some dried chili in there with some roasted peppers, paprika powder, they add different things.

Sauteed onions, fresh onions, and onion powder all have distinct flavors. Mix em up.

Salt in three parts. While sauteing. While simmering. Before serving.

Aromatics go in the dry pan (Whole spices, herbs, peppercorn) take em out and then grind em.

Here's the recipe:

2 cans beans

1 can corn

1 can roasted tomatoes

Bag frozen peppers and onions

1 packet chili seasoning

1 small can chili paste

(I used to be a professional chef, then I got long COVID. My recipes got a lot more streamlined since then.)

edit: clarification, Bay leaves go in at the start and get REMOVED afterwards.

Beans

More Beans

Cubed firm tofu

Bell Peppers

Sliced carrots (occasionally)

Onions

Canned tomatoes

Chili powder

I know it's not the main complaint but...the secret to chili is you can add whatever you want. You don't need need a particular recipe -- just some tomatoes (fresh or canned) and a bag of dry beans. Ideally you should also have a bunch of peppers, garlic and onions. Soak the beans overnight if you have the time and change the water before boiling, but you can go straight to boiling them if you can't pre-soak. You might put some bullion in, but don't add anything else until the beans are almost done. Acidic ingredients like tomatoes will hinder softening and over-cooking will reduce the flavor of other things added early.

If you fry the onions/garlic before adding them, they'll give you an extra layer of flavor, but that's optional. Chop everything while you wait for beans.

Anyway, when the bean are soft, check that there's only enough liquid to cover the beans. Pour off excess and reserve in case you want to add it back later. Then dump chopped stuff in pot: tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers (fresh, dried, or canned: examples: chipotle in sauce, poblanos, anchos, serranos, jalepenos), and whatever else you want -- even if it isn't considered 'proper': squash, tofu, celery, corn, or whatever. You can add a bit of oil for body. When that stuff is cooked, add spices such as cayenne, paprika, chipotle, powdered chili (note that sometimes 'chili powder' refers to just chilis and sometimes is mostly salt with a mix of spices). If using black pepper and fresh cilantro, add those last to retain maximum flavor.

you're not even close to baseline

This is the best veggie/vegan chilli I've made, and I make it in huge batches each fall when the eggplant is cheap. Go crazy and add some extra chilli too, its from the BBC and thus made approchable for the british palate (Read - Not very spicy).

stews don't have recipes, that's a lie by the french to make you buy more cookbooks, you can just put stuff in the pot

Used to be a huge fan of pickuplimes before she monetized and paywalled 95% of her recipes.

Gonna just say it’s worth it to start with the dried chili pods and make the chili paste base from scratch (it’s worth the time to do it because you can make large batches, it’s really not that much extra effort). Just look up a ratio of chilis and modify the spicy chilis to you liking.

My chili recipe tends to be what I have lying around but generally

Onion Gaelic Black beans Chick peas Rotel (or Diced tomatoes and jalapenos) Corn Lemon Juice Chili powder Cumin Paprika Smoked red pepper powder (I make this in the oven with a cast iron aluminum lined for fire) Veggie broth Tomato paste