Three bean chili (vegetarian or otherwise)

Today we’re going to be making chili.  Chili is one of my favorite dishes, and is very affordable, healthy, and easy to make.  The ingredients used add up to less than $20, and the recipe makes about 9 good servings.  Plus, it’s delicious!

What you will need (makes ~9 servings):

• 1 heavy 5-quart pot with lid
• 1 tablespoon oil (either canola or olive, but I prefer olive oil)
• 2 cups diced onion (basically, 1 large onion)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds lean boneless chuck, cut into 1/2-inch cubes. (Ground turkey works well, too.) (optional)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano (or 2 teaspoons of dried oregano)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder (real men use more)
• 1 jalapeño pepper (optional, depending on how spicy you want it)
• 2 cans (28 ounces each) plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice
• 3 bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow)
• 3 cups broth
• 3 cans (15 ounces each) of beans (I like 1 garbanzo, 1 black, and 1 pinto or kidney)
• 1/2 cup minced fresh basil
• 1 cup minced fresh cilantro

Total prep time: ~30 minutes.  Total cooking time: ~2.5 hours.

Follow me below the fold to see how to make it . . .

In a large stockpot, heat the oil over low heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.

Sauté the garlic and onions

Add the meat and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until browned.

Add the meat and cook till browned

Cook the meat till browned, then add the spices

Sprinkle with the paprika, cumin, oregano, and chili powder, and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the tomatoes, peppers, broth, and beans.  Bring to a boil, partially cover, and simmer for 2.5 hours, or until the beans are tender.

Toss in the tomatoes, beans, and peppers

Partly cover and simmer for 2.5 hours

After simmering for about 1 hour, add the jalapeño pepper.  The seeds are the key to the pepper’s heat, so if you like it spicy make sure you get all the seeds into the pot.

Add the jalapeño

WARNING: Jalapeño peppers are very spicy.  WASH YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY AFTER HANDLING THE PEPPER.  DO NOT RUB YOUR EYES; GETTING THE PEPPER JUICE INTO YOUR EYES IS VERY PAINFUL.  IF YOU GET ANY OF THE PEPPER INTO YOUR EYES, FLUSH YOUR EYES IMMEDIATELY WITH WATER.  Otherwise, jalapeños are delicious and add a great heat to the chili, so enjoy!

Continue to simmer the chili.  With about 30 minutes left to go, stir in the basil and cilantro.

Add the basil & cilantro

EAT!

Season to taste and enjoy with some sour cream and green pepper tabasco sauce!  To add a little more oomph to the chili, consider topping it with rice or cornbread.  The rice and cornbread, as thicker, heavier starches, complement well the stewy chili.

Lastly, experiment!  I think this recipe makes a very flavorful dish, but there are certainly more ways to make great chilis.  Adding different types of meat and peppers can change the flavor dramatically, as can using tomato puree instead of diced tomatoes.  The thing about chili is that it’s very inexpensive to make, considering how much you get, so you’re not out much if you want to experiment!