Thick and Hearty Chili with *gasp* BEANS

This thick, hearty chili recipe is sure to warm your belly on a cold winter night!

We eat chili year-round though and live in Florida, so what do I know right??? Whatever, it’s delicious and you’ll love it!

  • 2 lbs ground meat

  • 2 green peppers

  • 1 onion

You’ll probably notice how I just listed “ground meat” in this recipe. That’s because this chili can be made with pretty much whatever ground meat you have on hand! Shoot, it doesn’t even have to be ground meat! This picture was taken of a bowl of chili I made with just 1 lb of ground venison and 1 lb of left over pulled pork! Use whatever combo you want, I’m not your boss!

Go ahead and brown whatever ground meat you’ve dug out of the bottom of your freezer. Once it’s browned add the diced peppers and onion. Don’t have green peppers? Neither did I! That’s why there’s orange peppers in the picture! Cook all of this till the meat is brown and the peppers and onions are soft. Next, you’ll add your spices. If you want it slightly less spicy, then add less of the spicy stuff!

  • 3 Tablespoons chili powder

  • 2 Tablespoons garlic powder

  • 2 Tablespoons onion powder

  • 3 Tablespoons cumin

  • 1 Tablespoon paprika

  • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

  • 1/2 Tablespoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon white pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1 Tablespoon sugar

That’s a whole lot of spice!

 

Mix those spices up with the meat for around a minute. You want the spices to warm up and begin to release all of their flavor. Then add:

  • 1- 6oz jar of tomato paste

Stir this into the meat till it’s broken up and smooth. Then add:

  • 2 - 15oz cans of diced tomatoes

  • 1 - 15oz can of tomato sauce

  • 15oz water

  • 2 - 15 oz cans of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

If you don’t think beans belong in chili, feel free to keep your opinions to yourself! Kidding, just leave them out! Once everything is in the pot and well mixed, bring it to a simmer and let it hang out there for around 30 minutes. Give it a stir every once in a while, so nothing burns on the bottom. Or if you’re like me, forget about it for 30 minutes and come back to some tasty bits charred on the bottom of your pot. Have I told you how much I hate flat top stoves?

Enjoy with your chosen side! I prefer cornbread, Mark likes rice. Luckily, I’m the one who cooks dinner and gets to choose. So, we always have cornbread.

Check back soon for my favorite cornbread recipe!

 
 
 
 
Allison Mutek2 Comments