If you are a true chili connoisseur or a native Texan, please look away now. Just go somewhere else because this recipe is nowhere near authentic. It’s more beans and veggies than meat. It’s my quick and easy chili that I can put together after work without measuring stuff or soaking beans or any of that kind of tedious work. So next time you have a hankering for chili and it’s nearly dinner time, give this method a try.
Here’s what you need:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 tblsp olive oil
1 pound ground beef
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans pinto beans (yes, pintos, not kidney beans), drained of most of their liquid
1 can tomato paste
1 pkg chili seasoning
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
Optional Condiments: sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro, red pepper flakes
Here’s what you do:
Heat the olive oil in a large pan.
Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until soft and the onion is lightly browned, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer veggies to a plate or bowl and set aside.
Put the ground beef in the pan and cook, stirring to break up meat, until no pink remains. Drain the ground beef well and return to the pan.
Add back the veggies, the tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, chili seasoning and water. Stir well until all combined. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
I like mine with a dollop of sour cream, a little cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of cilantro and red pepper flakes. BeeBop just wants cheese on his. Whatever you like. Just go for it.
Enjoy!
Download a printable recipe here.
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That’s pretty much the recipe around here (after all, we learned from the same source). It would probably offend a true Texan to death. You know, you use the canned “chili beans”, they have nice chili seasoning already in there. Works very well.
I have some left-over of last week’s batch in my freezer. Just make sure that you let it thaw all the way through in the ‘fridge, otherwise, you will break up the beans. Perfect for a cold, don’t want to cook night. Works pretty good over hot dogs for what some folks call “scramble dogs.”
Miss P