Beef chili is a great dish for those family dinner nights you don’t feel like spending just sitting around cooking. Here is a great recipe that you can put together pretty quickly.
INGREDIENTS
Kosher salt
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 (15-oz) can kidney beans, drained
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 large white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
TOPPINGS
Shredded cheddar
Sour cream
Thinly sliced green onions
Directions :
First heat up oil in a pot that is big with medium heat. Put the onions in there and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
Put in the tomato paste and then combine this together. Then throw the ground beef in, cooking this until it’s not pinkened anymore. Drain the fat and then put it back in the heat.
Put the chili powder, oregano, cayenne if you want some heat, cumin, paprika, and also some salt and pepper into this mixture. Add in the kidney beans along with the crushed tomatoes, letting this sit to boil.
Lower the heat, letting this simmer for about 20 minutes, then season it with pepper and salt as needed.
Put this into some bowls and then serve it immediately!
Tips
What’s the best texture for chili?
If you want a good chili, you want this to be more like a stew and not soup, so make sure it’s nice and thick.
What should I do if the chili is too thick or thin?
There are two ways to fix this. For when it’s too thin, you should add in some flour, cornstarch, or some oatmeal, boil this, and then, let this sit to simmer for about a minute or so until this thickens up. You also can let this cook for a bit longer to increase the flavor as well.
In the case of it being too thick, you may wonder if you’ve cooked it for too long. Unless it’s burnt, you’re still able to save this. If you do like to season it to taste, add a bit of water as you do this, and season it a bit. Chicken and beef broth also work well here if you want to season this, especially if you’re worried about it not tasting right.
What should I do with burned chili?
This is rare to happen, but it does occur. The initial step is to make sure that the chili that’s not burned is out of there, so that it doesn’t taste burned. You then skim the chili that’s not burned, and only leave the burnt parts behind. Let this simmer, add some more liquid, and then once it’s thickened, you can continue cooking. Make sure that if you plan to use that same pot, you also get rid of the bits which are charred so it doesn’t taste like that.
Does the Pot need to be covered?
Not at all. It’s something that is better left with the lid off, since you want the liquid to reduce, but you also don’t want it to burn as well. You should cover the pot a bit to make sure the liquid doesn’t evaporate too fast, and also to make sure it doesn’t burn.