With Halloween right around the corner, isn’t it fitting that I bring you a Frankenstein of a creation? I’m a bit of an innovator in the kitchen, so this kind of freestyling isn’t unheard of for me. But this one came together so beautifully I RAN to my recipe notebook to write it down before I forgot. Enough suspense: this easy-peasy dinner marries soup and chili, because we should never have to choose between the two.

This summer has been insanely hot, so imagine my surprise when the weather today actually turned cloudy and rainy and (thank God) dropped to 80 degrees. Me personally, that’s a green light to whip up something brothy. This beef chili tomato soup is a symphony of textures and flavors coming together so perfectly, call me cliché but it really is a warm hug in a bowl. I threw together a can of tomato soup, spruced it up with a little heavy cream and spices, piled crispy ground beef on top, and sprinkled it with shredded cheese. Then I threw in some garlic bread crostinis, because why not?

See below how to make it. I promise you won’t regret it.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (we mixed in leftover chorizo too — use it if you’ve got it!)
• 1 16 oz can of tomato soup
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne — all to taste
• Optional toppings: garlic bread crostinis, shredded cheese, sour cream

How to make it

1. In a cast iron or deep skillet, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat. Spread it flat so it crisps up faster. Stir occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, heat the tomato soup in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and spices. If it looks too thick, splash in a little water or broth.
3. Once the beef is browned and crispy to your liking, kill the heat. Same for the soup — once it’s bubbling, you’re done.
4. Ladle the soup into a bowl, pile on the beef, and load up your toppings.

It is THAT easy. Is it soup? Is it chili? Why choose! This one’s officially saved to our rolodex of weeknight saviors — minimal ingredients, ready in under 30 minutes. What more could you want?

Ways to enjoy it

Have I mentioned that this is a soup-chili hybrid? So anything you’d top either of those classics with works here too. I went crostinis + shredded cheese. My boyfriend did the same and also added sour cream. Get crazy.