People have a lot of opinions about chili – beans or no beans, ground beef or chuck, dried chilies, the list goes on! This is an easy to make week-night friendly chili that has the seal of approval from two kids under the age of 5! If that doesn’t have you pulling out the kidney beans and chili powder I don’t know what will.
We had a big pack of local ground beef (from the CSA+ – delivering near you!) so this is a big batch of chili. We’ll include directions at the end for a smaller batch with 1 lb of ground beef. If ground beef is not your thing at all jump over here for a Vegan Quinoa Chili recipe. The best thing about this recipe is you can really flex it to the ingredients you have on hand and the consistency you like your chili to be. Add more carrots (a great compliment to the beef!) or even cubed winter squash in place of some of the peppers. Use more or less liquid to your desired consistency. I like a fairly thick stew-like chili, but you can also thin it out and serve over rice if that’s what you prefer.
I used just a bit of minced hot pepper here, with all of the seeds and ribs removed. This kept it mild enough for kids, but still gave a hint of the flavor. When serving a big dish like this I usually keep it fairly mild and then serve it with lots of fixings so everyone can flavor their bowl to their preference. Pickled hot peppers are perfect for this, so you can put some out with grated cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, and cilantro if you have it. Let everyone top their bowl and dig in!
Beef Chili
With 2 lbs ground beef:
2lbs ground beef
1 onion
3 bell peppers any variety
3 carrots
4 cloves garlic
1 hot pepper (optional)
olive oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
14.5 oz can kidney beans
14.5 oz can black beans
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 12 oz beer (lager or nut brown ale)
1 cup water
salt
To serve: grated cheddar, hot peppers, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, etc.
With 1 lb ground beef:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
1 bell pepper any variety
1 carrots
2 cloves garlic
1/2 hot pepper (optional)
olive oil
1 tablespoons chili powder
3/4tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14.5 oz can black beans or kidney beans
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
6 oz beer (lager or nut brown ale)
1/2 cup water
salt
To serve: grated cheddar, hot peppers, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, etc.
Prep the vegetables: Peel and mince the onion and garlic. Dice the peppers and carrots. Slice the hot pepper in half and remove the seeds and ribs, then mince.
Brown the beef: Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large stock pot over medium high heat. When it’s shimmering add the ground beef and use a spoon to break it up while it cooks. When the beef is cooked through remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain the fat if necessary. (If it’s just a bit it’s fine to leave it in). Set aside.
Make the stew: Add a glug more olive oil to the pan and lower the heat to medium. Sauté the onions and garlic for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spices, then cook for about a minute, stirring to coat the onions and garlic. Add the carrots and peppers, then cook for 2 – 4 minutes more stirring frequently. Return the beef to the pot, then add the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 – 40 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
* If you like a thinner chili, add more water.
*To make gluten free use your favorite gluten free beer or sub gluten free beef stock for the beer.
