Mini Chili Football Bread Bowls (Printable)

Hollowed dinner rolls become edible footballs filled with spicy beef chili and topped with melty cheese and sour cream lacing.

# What You Need:

→ Bread Bowls

01 - 12 small dinner rolls (unsliced)
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Chili Filling

03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
04 - 9 oz ground beef
05 - 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
06 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
07 - 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
08 - 7 oz canned diced tomatoes
09 - 5 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
10 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
11 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
13 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
15 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Toppings & Decoration

16 - 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
17 - 2 tablespoons sour cream (for football laces)
18 - 1 green onion, thinly sliced (optional, for garnish)

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
02 - Slice a thin layer off the top of each dinner roll. Hollow out the center, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. Brush the insides with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 5–7 minutes until lightly crisped. Set aside.
03 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned (about 5 minutes).
04 - Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the skillet; cook for 3–4 minutes until softened.
05 - Stir in diced tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Adjust seasoning if needed.
06 - Fill each bread bowl with warm chili. Sprinkle shredded cheddar on top.
07 - Return filled bread bowls to the oven for 5–7 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
08 - Remove from oven. Use a piping bag or zip-top bag with a small tip to pipe sour cream laces on each bread bowl to resemble footballs. Garnish with green onions if desired. Serve immediately while warm.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Everything you love about chili nachos but in a tidy, adorable package that guests can grab in one bite
  • The bread soaks up all those spiced juices while staying crisp enough to hold together
  • These look way more impressive than they actually are to make
02 -
  • The bread bowls keep getting softer the longer they sit with the chili inside, so time that final bake carefully
  • Do not skip brushing the inside of the bread with oil, it is what creates that barrier against soggy bottoms
  • The sour cream laces will start to melt and blur after about 10 minutes, so pipe them right before serving
03 -
  • Taste your chili before filling the bowls, adjust the seasoning now because you cannot fix it later
  • If your bread bowls feel too soft after the first bake, give them another 2 to 3 minutes before filling

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