Clover Valley Chili: With Beans and With No Beans (Dollar General)

While I prefer to make homemade chili, there are times when I appreciate the convenience of chili in a can. Canned chili is good for camping trips or for keeping in an emergency food stash. It also works well if I want to make chili cheese dogs and need a smaller amount of chili rather than the larger amount my homemade recipe makes.

When most people think of canned chili, they probably think of name-brand Hormel chili. I’ve also tried canned chili from Aldi, which is quite good. Today, I’m taking a look at the canned chili options at Dollar General. Dollar General sells two types of canned chili under its Clover Valley house brand: chili with beans and chili with no beans.

Clover Valley Chili With Beans cost $1.25 and Clover Valley Chili with No Beans cost $1.45 at the time of publication. Both come in 15-ounce cans and are made in the U.S.A.

Each can contains two 1-cup servings of chili.

The chili can be heated in the microwave or on the stove top.

To microwave, empty the contents of the can into a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and heat on high for 2-3 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally.

To heat on the stove top, empty the can’s contents into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat while stirring occasionally until hot.

I served chili cheese dogs with both types of Dollar General chili, and they made for a satisfying easy dinner alongside some French fries and a salad for good measure. My family thought both of these compared well to Aldi canned chili, which is similar to name-brand Hormel. The DG chili also has the perfect consistency for serving with chili dogs, which is one of those times when you want a hearty and thick chili that isn’t going to run everywhere.

Remember that any unused chili should be refrigerated in a separate container.

Read on for more information about each chili variety.

Clover Valley Chili With Beans

I appreciate how the ingredients in this type of chili are whole and recognizable, with few to no processed ingredients. This tastes like what you’d expect chili to taste like. It has plenty of beans in a thick tomato-based sauce or broth, and the right amount of seasonings.

Ingredients are water, beef, beans, corn starch, tomato paste, chili powder (chili pepper, spices, salt), salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.

A 1-cup serving (245 grams) has 270 calories, with 120 calories from fat, along with 13 grams of total fat (20% DV), 6 grams of saturated fat (30% DV), 30 mg of cholesterol (10% DV), 930 mg of sodium (39% DV), 26 grams of total carbohydrates (9% DV), 7 grams of dietary fiber (28% DV), 2 grams of sugars, and 14 grams of protein.

 

Clover Valley Chili With No Beans

This tastes a little different because I’m not accustomed to eating chili with no beans whatsoever, but it’s good in its own right. I think this chili with no beans is almost a little on the spicy side, but it’s not intolerable if you don’t like spicy food. It just has more kick than the Dollar General Chili With Beans. When served in a chili dog, I hardly noticed the spice when it was mixed in with hot dog and cheese, but I did notice the slight kick when I ate some of the chili on its own.

Ingredients are water, pork, beef, corn flour, chili pepper, modified corn starch, textured vegetable protein (soy flour), soy protein concentrate, tomato paste, hydrolized soy and corn protein, sugar, paprika, salt, dehydrated onion, spices, yeast extract, natural flavorings, and caramel color.

If you’re watching out for allergens, this contains soy.

A 1-cup serving (236 grams) has 300 calories, with 140 calories from fat, along with 15 grams of total fat (23% DV), 6 grams of saturated fat (30% DV), 70 mg of cholesterol (23% DV), 990 mg of sodium (41% DV), 20 grams of total carbohydrates (7% DV), 4 grams of dietary fiber (16% DV), 3 grams of sugars, and 20 grams of protein.

The Verdict:

Clover Valley Chili With Beans and Clover Valley Chili with No Beans are both good choices if you’re looking for canned chili. We think these compare favorably to certain name brands of canned chili. The Chili with No Beans has slightly more spice, but we wouldn’t say either of these chilis is spicy.