I feel kind of guilty saying this, but while most people are bracing themselves for the rest of winter, we are enjoying absolutely perfect weather here in Arizona. The past week, the weather has been hovering around 75-80F. James and I started off the new year with two local hikes and have been enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. I’m sorry if you’re in a cold weather state, but hopefully this recipe will warm you up!
This is one of my favorite recipes from The Best 30 Minute Recipe cookbook. It’s a quick beef chili that rivals any chili that has been simmering all day. It’s inexpensive to make and is a perfect quick meal to throw together on a weeknight. You can sub out whatever beans you like, but I like to make mine with black beans and red kidney beans. If you’re curious, yes, those are homemade bread bowls pictured! I’ll dedicate a future post to them. 
Happy 2012, everyone!
Fast All-American Beef Chili
Ingredients:
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
3 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground beef (85% lean)
cheddar cheese, sour cream and diced red onion for topping (optional)
In a blender or food processor, pulse tomatoes and their juices until slightly chunky, about 5 pulses.
Bring tomatoes, beans, chipotle chiles, sugar and 1/2 salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until needed later in the recipe.
Heat oil in large dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, chili powder, cumin and 1/4 tsp of salt. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Increase heat to medium-high and add ground beef. Cook beef until browned and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. If desired, remove some of the excess fat with a spoon.
Add tomato mixture to the beef, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer chili for about 15 minutes, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and serve with desired toppings.
Recipe from The Best 30 Minute Recipe
