This recipe was torn from a tattered cookbook that I had when I first graduated from college, one of those in the 101-easiest-pasta-sauce-recipes-from-whatever-is-in-your-pantry type of book. That was back when it was ok to eat pasta.
Chili-as-a-pasta-sauce has a special meaning in our house, because my husband comes from a place where it is completely normal to eat it that way.
I, however, do not. And my childhood chili was always served with toasty warm flour tortillas (heated directly against the gas burner of your stove, to be very specific < try it it's life changing) and then slathered with butter. I've evolved to at least tolerate the chili-over-pasta thing, even though I don't practice it myself.
What I like these days is serving it over a baked yam (the orange-flesh sweet potato thing) with shredded cheese and sour cream, and a few extra shakes of hot sauce. Perfection.
This is a great, basic chili recipe that gets the spices right, and is super fast - from here you can add all the vegetables you like. Personally, I don't eat beans, so I double up on meat by chopping up some Evergood Hot Link Sausages and browning them in the pan to render all the delicious spicy red oil, then remove them and use that oil to saute the onions, garlic and ground beef.
Now, this recipe is a weeknight go-to and I will often double it and freeze it for an even quicker dinner in the future. Can you say Chili Nachos?
Quick Chili - just double it, you will be happy you did
3 tbsp olive or veg oil
(or the equivalent of the spicy oil you rendered from those chopped Evergood Hot Link sausages^^^)
1/2 lb ground beef
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed, or 2 tsp garlic powder if you don't have fresh
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp cumin
3 tbsp chili powder (make sure it's mild, if it's spicy, use to taste)
1 - 28 oz can of tomatoes, any kind, crushed, diced, sauce, if they are whole, then crush by hand
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp sugar, if your tomatoes taste tart
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
shakes of black pepper
In a large skillet or saucepan, heat oil and add onions, garlic and then beef. Saute until the beef has lost all of it's pink color and if you can, get it to leave a toasty brown glaze on the bottom of the pan. Sometimes it will release a lot of liquid and you can't get that glaze. It's ok.
Add the cumin, chili powder and (garlic powder, if this is your option) and toast that up for two mins.
Add the tomatoes and stir to scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze (get all the flavor bits off), add the oregano - and the hot link sausage if that's in your plan, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
Taste for seasoning, add the sugar if it tastes a little tart or sour, and season with salt/pepper as you like.
Just before serving, add the rinsed beans just to heat them. If you simmer them, they will get mushy and gross. Maybe you like that?
Serve over any shape of cooked pasta, a baked sweet potato/yam, or the proper way—with toasty buttered flour tortillas.
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