1. In a soup pot fry up 4-5 pieces of bacon. Remove bacon and keep 1 tsp of bacon fat in the pan. Chop bacon for topping the chili with later. This step is optional! If you do not fry bacon just add 1 TBS oil to soup pot.
2. Add chopped veggies to pot and saute on medium high heat until veggies are tender, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add beef and crumble while sauting until browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Add tomato paste, salt and all spices. Mix to combine about 2 minutes.
5. Add your liquid of choice to deglaze the pan. (To deglaze, slowly pour in liquid and use a wooden soup to scrap up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan).
6. Add can of tomatoes (with juice) and beans.
7. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and add any salt if needed!

Serve with hot sauce, sour cream, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, jalapenos, cilantro or anything else you like!