Chili with Beans for Recipe Friday

More snow storms are on the way on the east coast, and it’s not all the warm here in the Pacific Northwest, either. Winter still has a way to go before spring arrives. So here’s my chili recipe to go with it to warm you up.

I suspect there are hundreds of chili recipes. Some have beans and some don’t. Some have meat and some don’t. I’ve even heard of chili with turkey or tofu, though you’ll never find either in my house. A lot of people swear by starting with dry beans and soaking them, but I’ve never had much luck with soaking beans. As long as you rinse the canned variety well, I find they work just fine and you don’t have to plan so far ahead when you want to have chili. If you have all of the ingredients on hand, this recipe takes less than an hour from start to finish. It results in more of a soup-like chili than some I’ve had and is similar to how my mom always made it.

For many years when my son was young we didn’t have chili very often because he refused to eat beans. He was not generally a terribly picky eater, but he drew the line at beans of any kind. Then one time, about four years ago, we were eating in a bar-b-q restaurant in Keystone, South Dakota, which is near Mt. Rushmore. Every meal came with baked beans. My husband and I were teasing our son and commenting how delicious the beans were and that it was a good thing our son didn’t like them, because that meant there was more for us. So he said, “Give me those beans,” with the intention (he told us later) of trying them and proving they were awful. Instead, he discovered they were awesome! He’s been eating beans of all kinds ever since. Even in this chili!

Chili with Beans

1 lb ground beef
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 cans ready cut tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can red kidney beans
1 can black beans
2 tsp Mexican oregano
Lots of chili powder
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
A few dashes of hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Water, if needed, for desired consistency

Fry ground beef. Remove excess grease. Add onion, red pepper, and garlic and stir for about 5 minutes for the veggies to get a bit tender. Add spices. Stir in tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce. Rinse beans and add both cans. Add a can or less of water to reach desired consistency. Let simmer about 10 minutes. Taste to see if you need more chili powder, salt, or pepper. Simmer another 10 minutes and serve with corn bread, biscuits, or crackers.