When I'm pressed for time or don't feel like dilly-dallying in the kitchen, one of my go-to quick dinner recipes is homemade chili. It's one of those beautiful recipes you can either cook low and slow all day or on the fly and eat immediately.
Homemade Chili is Easy to Throw Together and Adapt
I make a point to keep the basic ingredients for chili in my freezer and pantry: homemade stock, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, diced green chiles, cooked beans, grass-fed ground beef, fresh onions, and spices.
If I want I can throw in extra ingredients to spice it up (like grated horseradish and fresh garlic), but that's not necessary. Mostly I devise a recipe around what's hanging out in my fridge, freezer, and pantry at the time.
My Chili Recipe Goes Tex Mex
Which is why this version has my homemade spicy taco seasoning in it. I mixed another batch to photograph and share on the blog last week, so it made sense to use it up. And to give it a tad more chili flavor (as opposed to straight up taco seasoning), I added more chili powder. Easy peasy.
Feel free to use this recipe as a guideline and tweak it to your tastes. Add more ground beef if you like it extra meaty, or double the beans for more inexpensive protein.
When I was young, I used to love crushing up saltines or corn chips as a topping, but now I stick to lots of shredded cheese, chopped avocado, and fresh lime. Living in Texas has certainly altered my tastes. I eat far more Tex Mex and much less BBQ than in Kansas City! Although, if someone wants to overnight me a Z-Man with fries, I won't complain.
Grass Fed Beef Chili Recipe with Bell Peppers, Pinto Beans, and Green Chiles
A quick homemade chili recipe using grass fed ground beef, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, spicy taco seasoning, green chiles, and homemade beef stock.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil (I use extra virgin olive oil or bacon grease)
2 large yellow onions, peeled and diced
2 red bell peppers, innards removed and diced
1 lb of ground beef (I use 85% lean 100% grass-fed)
Sea salt & cracked black pepper, to taste
4+ tablespoons of homemade spicy taco seasoning mix
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1 1/2 cups of cooked pinto beans (I used homemade beans)
1 4 oz can of fire roasted diced green chiles or freshly roasted green chiles
1 cup of homemade beef stock or chicken stock
1 cup of diced tomatoes (or about 1/2 a 15 oz can)
1 cup of tomato sauce
-Optional toppings-
shredded cheese
lime wedges
chopped avocado
sour cream
chopped cilantro
organic corn chips
Recommended Equipment
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Directions
Heat a large stock pot or Dutch oven to medium and add the cooking oil. Peel and dice the onions, add to the pot, and cook for 5-10 minutes until starting to turn golden. Diced the bell peppers, add to the onions, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef, breaking it up into smaller chunks with a wooden spoon or utensil.
Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until no pink is left (about 5-10 minutes). Add the taco seasoning and chili powder, beans, green chiles, homemade stock, diced tomatoes with juice, and tomato sauce.
Stir until everything is incorporated. Bring to a low simmer, cover with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes. Taste the chili and if necessary, add more seasoning. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately with toppings of your choice. I always add lots of shredded cheese and sour cream. Lime wedges, chopped avocado, and fresh cilantro gives it extra Tex-Mex flavors.
More Recipes From The Rising Spoon:
- Slow Cooked Beef Pot Roast with Tomatoes & Green Chiles
- Leftover Pot Roast Stew
- Grass-Fed Beef Breakfast Tacos
- Crunchy Grass-Fed Beef Tacos with Avocado Cream Sauce
- Spicy Turkey Chili Soup
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I'd like to hear from YOU!
Do you have a special way of making chili? A secret or not-so-secret ingredient that takes it to the next level?
This post was shared at Full Plate Thursday.
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