When it's cold outside nothing warms your soul like a bowl of Chili and a Hallmark movie. Okay, maybe not a Hallmark movie. But nonetheless this is just the meal to make for a cloudy day with snow in the forecast. It's easy and you can decide if you want to move it the crockpot just like I did.
I just had a bowl with crackers and honestly, it tastes great! I made a large batch but I will share the recipe for the small batch that serves a family of 5 perfectly. Plus, it is gluten free which means it's a win for all! (that means no crackers in the chili)
Lots of spices here, including, a bay leaf, cumin, garlic, oregano, salt, and of course chili powder. To get started you chop the onion and red pepper and add them to the large pot you will use. Sauté them for 3-4 minutes until they soften up.
You can see that I was a bit careless in chopping my onions and red pepper, they are not a fine cut but rather a chunky cut. I used a bit of olive oil in the large pot as well. I used red pepper because we had that on hand but you can use a green pepper as well.
Once you have sautéed the onions and peppers add in the ground beef. I purchased my ingredients that I didn't have on hand at Costco. So I was sure to have plenty of what I needed for this recipe.
Brown the hamburger until cooked through. Then drain the hamburger (onion and pepper) to remove the grease. Return to the pan. So many great spices are used in this recipe to give it the great taste. We like spice but not to much. If you like your food extra spicy you could add some cayenne pepper as well. You can see that I measured all the spices together.
Sprinkle the spices over the browned beef and stir to combine.
At this point you have a big decision to make: should you move it to the crock pot or should you continue on the stove top. Since I was making this ahead of time I decided to move the mixture to the crock pot. At this point you start adding in the beans, the diced tomato, and tomato juice.
Stir to combine all the goodness! In the crockpot I turn the setting to high for 60 minutes and then to low until we are ready to eat the chili. If you are continuing on the stove top you should simmer the chili for 30 minutes and then serve.
This is how it should look! I would have some leftovers but it is all gone! My mom made this often and on days like today when it is cold and snowy outside you couldn't find a much better meal!
Marlene’s Chili
Ingredients
1½ pounds ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup of chopped pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon chili
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
1 can diced tomatoes (2 cups)
1 can kidney beans (2 cups)
8 ounces of tomato sauce
2-3 cups of tomato juice
1. Add some olive oil to a large pot/pan on the stove top, turn to medium heat. Add the onion and pepper to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
2. Put the ground beef to the pot cook until browned. Drain.
3. Add the spices to the ground beef mixture. Stir to combine.
4. At this time you can either transfer to a slow cooker or continue the chili on the stove top.
5. Add the tomatoes, beans and tomato juice to the mixture. Mix everything together.
6. On the stove top simmer for 30 minutes then serve. In the slow cooker turn to high for 60 minute then turn to low until you serve the chili.
Missy Notes:
* you can double or even triple this recipe
* when served with no garnishes this chili is gluten free
* garnish with crackers, corn chips, cheese and sour cream
* if you like spicy you can use some red pepper or jalapenos in this chili (back in 1970 nobody used jalapeno peppers)
* if you like ground turkey you could also substitute for the ground beef
Enjoy!
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