Beef and Black Bean Chili
This is a classic chili with black beans. The spice level is completely customizable.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1.5 pounds ground beef
- 1 onion ,large diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 bell pepper whatever color you prefer, diced
- 1-5 hot peppers Habanero, serrano, jalapeño, or poblano are good options, in order of spiciest to least spicy. Pick a hotter pepper and use more of it if you like a spicy chili.
- 2 cans Stewed tomatoes + 1 can of water 14.5 oz cans
- 1 can black beans 15 oz can, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon chili powder Reduce if you're sensitive to spice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne leave out if sensitive to spice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- See the notes section for shortcuts. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add beef to the pot, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Cook until all the ground beef is browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion to the pot and let it cook for 2-3 minutes until it's lightly softened, then add the bell pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Mix in the hot peppers and garlic and cook for another minute. Put the rest of the ingredients through the beans into the pot and turn the heat up to high until the chili reaches a boil. Cover the pot about ¾ of the way, reduce the heat to low, and let the chili simmer for 2 hours.
- At this point, add in all of the seasonings (the rest of the ingredients) including a small amount of salt and pepper. Cook the chili for another 30-45 minutes. Taste the chili, then add in salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with your choice of toppings. Some options are: sour cream, cheese, sriracha, cilantro, or green onion. Chili can be frozen for about 3 months for best quality.
Notes
Shortcuts to make chili making easier:
Use frozen vegetables: Onion and bell pepper are sold pre-cut and frozen which means no cutting for you and they'll soften faster.
Jarred garlic: This is an easy and convenient way to add garlic flavor to your dish without all the hassle of peeling and chopping.
Buy a chili seasoning mix packet: While I think that the mix of spices in my recipe are perfection, I get that sometimes that's not happening. Feel free to pick up a pre-made packet of chili seasoning. Alternatively, if two spices are do-able for you, choose the chili powder and cumin and skip the rest!
Use pre-cooked beef or frozen ground meat alternative: Cooking ground beef can feel like a pain in the butt sometimes. The best alternative (for flavor) to cooking the beef in the chili pot is to use pre-cooked ground beef. However, if that's not available you can also use a frozen ground meat alternative. This will not provide as meaty of a flavor base but it has a similar texture to the real thing and it is a lot easier to use. Add the alternative about 30 minutes before the chili is done.
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