Bust out the beano it’s chili time!
Chili was the first thing I recall making that was 1) made up on the fly and 2) got rave reviews from my family when I made it. So naturally I’ve made it several times a year for the last 25 years. Chili goes great with beer bread, corn chips, tortilla chips, tortillas, corn bread, garlic sticks…. you get the idea! and is great with cold beer. Here’s my basic recipe.
*note* This should feed about 4-8 people, I usually end up freezing half of the batch because it keeps in the freezer for a good long time.
Chili
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Chef Kelli
Serves: 4-8
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs of ground meat (I prefer lean ground beef or turkey, feel free to get creative
- 2 cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans medium red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans chili (or pinto beans) rinsed and drained
- 2 cans (or 4 C.) diced tomato
- 1 can tomato sauce (may add another depending on the consistency desired)
- 1 chopped bell pepper
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- salt and pepper (and other seasonings to taste)
- ½ cup beer (if wanted)
Instructions
- Brown meat with the chopped onion until cooked then drain excess oil. Add to crock pot or cooking pot over low heat. Add all other ingredients and pepper to taste. I like a bit of ancho pepper, a bit of cayenne and of course plenty of black pepper. If you're a fan of jalapenos, dice them and add them. Not a fan of spicy chili, then forgo any extra peppers.
- Most of what makes chili great is the bits of seasoning you add, and only you know what your audience likes. The longer you cook it, the better it tastes. Cook at a minimum 40 minutes.
- Serve with grated cheese and/or sour cream as a topping. Serve with beer bread if you like, they go great together
