Four Bean Chili to Warm Your Soul

Our perfect chili to warm your soul

Homemade Chili Seasonings cannot be beat!

We thought the beans were so pretty we took a picture!

We eat a fair amount of chili 'round here... especially in the cooler months. We've been blessed with rain, snow and icky weather here in Connecticut. A nice soul warming meal was in order for last night!

I decided I was going to create my own recipe loosely based off of my husband's. I didn't tell him what I was doing, however. I waited until he sat down, took a bite and his eyes rolled to the back of his head! Ok, so slight exaggeration, but he said it was "excellent" and he is The Chili Expert in this house.

The recipe is simple, requires few ingredients and can be whipped up fairly quickly. Last night we served this with chips, but this would be great with rice or cornbread.

Ingredients:

1.5 - 2 lbs of lean ground beef (87% or 90% fat free)
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can pink kidney beans
1 can black kidney beans
1 can tomato sauce -- all cans mention 15 oz size
1 onion, diced
1 tbs olive oil for onions and 1 tbs if you use 90% ff beef

For the Chili Seasoning:

1.5 tbs salt
2 tbs garlic powder
1 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 tsp chili powder (cayenne)
2 tsp paprika
1 to 2 really good shakes of crushed red pepper.

(This will make a good bit of extra, so find a good glass jar for storage.)


Directions:

In a large skillet brown meat. This could take 10 - 15 minutes depending on how much meat you have.
As your meat browns, use your spoon to break it up into little pieces.
Meanwhile make your Chili Seasoning and slice onion
Drain and rinse canned beans and place them in a saucepan with the heat on low and sprinkle 1 tsp of your chili seasoning over the beans. Stir well.

If your meat requires draining, remove meat from pan, and drain fat. Add onions to pan and cook til translucent.
Return meat to the pan.
Add 1 to 2 tsp of the Chili Seasoning, stir and taste
Add tomato sauce.
Mix well.
Add beans.
Mix well.
Adjust seasonings if desired.
(If your skillet is too small use a large pan to combine all your ingredients.)
Keep on low heat until ready to serve.

Our usual accoutrements include:
Sour cream (I always use light or low fat)
Shredded cheese, cheddar, Jack or Mexican
Scallion, chopped
and, last night, the Hint of Lime tortilla chips!