Walt Disney's Famous Chili

Walt Disney was a visionary, master filmmaker and storytellier. But when it came to foods, he liked the basics like meat and potatoes…and Walt Disney’s all-time favorite was chili and beans. According to many people who knew Walt personally, he loved a mixture of Gebhardt’s and Dennison’s canned chili. And he would eat it right out of the can!

Walt Disney’s Chili Recipe

In addition to the canned chili, there are several chili recipes that are stored away in the Walt Disney Archives from Walt’s personal files including the receipe below.

Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients

2 lbs. coarse ground beef
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic

¹⁄₂ cup oil
1 cup chopped celery
1 tsp. chili powder (depending on taste)

1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 large can solid pack tomatoes

2 lbs. dry pink beans
Salt

For spicy chili and beans, add a pinch of the following spices:

Coriander seeds
Turmeric
Chili seeds

Cumin seeds
Fennel seeds
Cloves

Cinnamon
Dry ginger
1 little yellow Mexican chili pepper

Directions

Soak beans overnight in cold water.
Drain, add water to cover (2 inches over beans), and simmer with onions until tender (about 4 hours).
Meanwhile, prepare sauce by browning meat and minced garlic in oil.

Add remaining ingredients, and simmer for 1 hour.
When beans are tender, add sauce to beans and simmer for ¹⁄₂ hour.

This receipe is from a file in the Walt Disney Archives marked “Walt’s Favorite Foods.” It is unknown if Walt Disney had this recipe typed up for his housekeeper and cook, Thelma Pearl Howard, or if she recorded the recipe as one of Walt’s favorites.

Walt’s Chili and Beans from Carnation Café at Disneyland Park

Over the years, Disney chefs have refined Walt’s chili and beans recipe and made it available in Disney Theme Park restaurants for park guests to enjoy. One of those dining locations is Carnation Café in Disneyland Park which was originally named Carnation Cafe Ice Cream Parlor when the park opened on July 17, 1955. Their version of Walt’s chili and beans adds a little more seasoning than Walt’s original recipe and is served for lunch and dinner as a starter menu item. The item is shown on the menu as “Walt’s Chili” noted as hearty chili topped with cheese, sour cream, chives, and a corn bread garnish

The below Chili and Beans recipe from Carnation Café serves 6 to 8:

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

3/4 pounds beef stew meat
1 small onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons beef base
1 1/2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Coarse salt, to taste

Garnish

1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 small tomatoes, diced

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in large Dutch oven, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add stew meat and sauté for 10 minutes, until meat is browned on all sides. Remove stew meat from pan and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to pan, heat for 3 minutes over medium heat.

Add onions and green pepper. Sauté 8-10 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and sauté one minute longer, until garlic is fragrant.
Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally to break up large chunks of beef, for 10-12 minutes, until beef is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
Return stew meat to the Dutch oven with ground beef mixture. Add ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, tomato paste, fresh diced plum tomatoes, diced can tomatoes, beef base, and water.

Bring chili to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat for 3 hours, until stew meat is tender.
Add pinto beans. Simmer for 10 minutes, until beans are warm.
Season with salt, as needed.

Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and diced tomatoes.

Be sure to serve Walt’s Chili and Beans from Carnation Café with saltine crackers – just the way Walt liked it.

Which chili recipe looks good to you? Walt Disney’s original chili recipe or Carnation Café’s recipe? With the weather cooling down this fall and winter, either recipe is sure to make a delicious and warm meal for you and your family and friends. And, if there is a different Disney restaurant that serves your favorite version of Walt’s chili, I would love to hear about it from you.