Quick Stove Top Chili 12-Sep-2011
When you just want to throw some chili together and don’t want the canned stuff.
While popping open a can of Hormel is pretty dang easy, it’s also not quite so satisfying sometimes. Here’s a quick stove-top chili recipe that comes out pretty nice and is a great basis for further experimentation.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 (8 ounce) jar salsa
- 4 tablespoons chili seasoning mix, or 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans
- 1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans
Directions
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In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and sauté until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease.
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Add the ground black pepper, salt, tomato sauce, salsa, chili seasoning mix and both cans of kidney beans. Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour.
Variations
This basic recipe lends itself well to variations:
- chopped, roasted jalapeños (chipotles)
- mild, green roasted chili peppers
- fresh, chopped habañeros
- black beans instead of kidney beans
- white navy beans
- lima beans
Other veggies go in well, too:
- grated carrots
- grated zucchini
- chopped bell peppers
- stewed tomatoes
There are many varieties of salsa to choose from in most supermarkets. Different heat indexes, different consistencies, different ingredients. Use whatever floats your boat. I’m partial to Pace Medium Chunky Salsa.
If you don’t want to use canned beans, you can use dried beans instead, provided you prepare them well by boiling, soaking, draining, etc.