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Basic Chili

This uses a lot of canned ingredients, but before you poo-poo it, try it.
Cook Time4 hours
Course: Main Course
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground pork or mild Italian sausage
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder (mild, medium, hot -- your choice)
  • olive oil (or reserved fat from meats)
  • ¼ onion, diced
  • 4 ounce can mild diced green chilies
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup water (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon dried cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried cumin
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder (mild, medium, etc.)
  • 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, Mexican seasoned if you like (optional: drain)
  • 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained
  • 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Toppings

  • Grated cheese
  • Sour cream or Mexican Crema
  • Minced Jalapeno Peppers

Instructions

  • Brown the meats together in a large pan with 1 tablespoon of the chili powder and drain, reserving some of the grease.
  • In a large-ish pot (3qt?) add the olive oil (or reserved fat from the meat), the diced onion, and peppers and sauté over medium-low heat until tender. 5-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute or two longer.
  • Add the water, the drained meat, the dried cilantro, dried oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Mix well. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, and let simmer over low heat 5-10 minutes.
  • Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Bring back to a low boil then reduce and let simmer for 30-60 minutes or up to 4 hours. Taste every so often and adjust the seasoning if needed.
  • About a half hour before serving (see note) add the beans. Mix well, increase heat for a bit and then reduce to thicken. (If you add the beans too early, they just turn to mush.)

Notes

  • Recently I've found cans of pinto beans labeled "chili beans" that are pintos but with tomato sauce and cumin added.  If using these, don't drain, but you will need to increase cooking time after adding the beans if you want it to thicken.
  • As a side, make corn bread.