Keep Calm and Make Chili.
Chili is one of those recipes that I get asked for often. I can only assume that it’s because the other people my friends have asked for a chili recipe from respond with some crazy stuff.
I try to keep my shade throwing to a minimum, but a friend asked on social media how to make chili. The responses went from questionable (V8) to just downright crazy (a jar of tomato sauce). WUT? Now don’t go getting all in your feelings if you’re one of those people. Just hear me out. When you use tomato sauce, or any other pre-made product, you lose all control of your flavor and seasonings. They are loaded with salt, and tons of other seasonings. And while it seems easy to open a jar or can, it’s actually easier to just make it from scratch.
Chili should be meaty, flavorful, and most importantly, SIMPLE. Here is how we do it at the Rahz house. I love the combination of half ground beef, and half hot sausage. To all of my outdoorsy friends, swap out the beef for your ground venison and it’s just as delicious.
This is the most simple, but flavorful chili out there. Promise.
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. spicy Italian sausage
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 medium onions, diced
2 green or red peppers, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cans kidney beans, drained
2- 28oz. cans diced tomatoes
Hot sauce
Seasonings : chili powder, cumin, paprika, s&p
Toppings: cheddar cheese, cilantro, sour cream
Directions:
- Get a dutch oven going over medium heat with some olive oil in it. Sauté the holy trinity of carrots, onion, and celery. Let those go for a few minutes to soften and then add the green pepper and garlic.
- I like to add my seasonings at this point. We are keeping it simple here, so my hands down favorites for chili are : chili powder , cumin, and paprika. As for amounts, that’s truly up to you, and how spicy you like to keep things in your house. I usually use one full small jar of chili powder, 2 tbsp. of cumin, and 1 tbsp. paprika. Salt and pepper is a given here in Beans + Rahz land, you know the rules. Don’t be a punk about it, taste your food as you cook, and it will always be perfect.
- Add in your meats, breaking it up as it browns. It is going to smell like Jesus’s kitchen at this point, and then you know you are on the right track. We can all do things through Christ who strengthens us. LOL.
- Add in your beans and give it a stir. Then add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes, and a few good shakes of hot sauce. Bring this up to a simmer, and let it go for about an hour or so. Check your seasonings, and adjust if you need to.
- And that’s it! So easy. I like to top mine with cheddar, sour cream. and cilantro. The Mr. agrees, and he thinks it pairs nicely with Corona and lime.
- So there you have it. Thank you to Ryan, who requested a recipe last week and it finally motivated me to blog mine for all of you. XO, Kathryn
Beans+Rahz 