Hearty Chili
Hearty and meaty chili filled with ground beef, beans, and tomatoes, seasoned with warm spices to create the perfect start to fall dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 orange bell pepper or any color bell pepper, chopped 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 medium onion chopped 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic smashed then chopped
- 3 serrano peppers seeded and ribs removed (*1)
- 1 lb ground beef 90% lean or 80% lean
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt or more to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper or more to taste
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper *2
- 1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 14 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 14 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the bell pepper and sauce for 2 minutes, then add the onions and saute for 3 more minutes, or until the onion is translucent and slightly soft, and bell pepper is just soft. Add the garlic and serrano pepper and saute for 3 more minutes, or until garlic is aromatic.
- Add the ground beef to the pot, break it up and brown for 10 minutes, or until meat is cooked through. Season the beef with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Mix the seasonings in, then add the black and kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, and water. Stir to combine, then top the chili with the bay leaves.
- Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 40 minutes. Stir often to ensure no sticking or burning. Adjust seasonings if necessary throughout the simmering process.
- Serve over rice, by itself, or with your toppings of choice.
Notes
(*1) For a spicier chili, you can choose to keep the seeds and ribs. However, serrano is spicy. Be mindful of how much you use if you keep the seeds and ribs!
(*2) I did not have cayenne readily available, so I used tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
** If the chili is too thick for you, add a 1/4 cup of water at a time, but allow a longer simmer time of 5 minutes, as adding water will drop the temperature of the chili.
** If the chili is too watery for you, add a few tablespoons of tomato paste at a time, but allow a longer simmer time of 5 minutes, to ensure it thickens up to your liking.