I had to share this extra simple recipe with you today. I just had to. I’m convinced that basic homemade chili is one of the world’s great foods and here’s why:
-It’s delicious. (obviously)
-It’s full of nutritious veggies and protein sources, but no picky eater ever seems to realize it.
-You can’t mess it up.
-We eat it (or a leftover version of something made out of it) at least once a week.
-One pot seems to last and last for ever and ever.
Some weeks it seems like we live off of basic chili, just cause it’s easy and healthy and everyone loves it. Somehow chili has gotten a reputation as kind of a junky comfort food even though, when you think of it, it’s pretty much all veggies, and you can hide all kinds of extra veggies in there too if you want!
Whenever I make up a big batch of this stuff, I always freeze the leftovers and we get at least 3 more meals out of it over the next few weeks. And then I make more! So the other day when I was making up a new batch, I thought it was high time I shared this food revelation with you, just in case you never realized how easy chili can make your dinner-cookin’ life!
I’ve made all different versions, but this is the simple one I always come back to:
-1 lb ish of ground beef or turkey (not a big deal if it’s still frozen, it’ll defrost in the crock pot)
-2 cans of any kind of beans
-1 can of diced tomatoes
-1 can of corn
-1 bell pepper of any color (or dehydrated from the spice cupboard if you don’t feel like chopping at all)
And then some spices:
-About 2-3 Tablespoons of Chili Powder
-About 2 Tablespoons of Onion Powder
-About 1 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
-Salt and Pepper
And that’s it! Dump it all in the pot. This takes about 5 minutes at the most. Of course, anything you can add that’s straight out of the garden ups the delicious factor, but it’s totally not necessary. I have a medium pot, so this all fits in quite nicely. If you have a big crock pot, add more beans or tomatoes. Here’s how it looks:
At this point, depending on how much extra time I have and how happy the baby is, I might add a dash of this and that out of the cupboard or the fridge, but usually I don’t. (Ideas: Oregano, Basil, Soy sauce, Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, Worchestershire sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, grated carrots, chopped spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.) I love this recipe because it’s totally do-able while holding a baby and then, voila, I’ve made 4 meals worth of food! It makes me feel competent as a homekeeper for sure. 🙂
So, you can stir it at this point or not. Put the lid on and let it cook on low all day, or at least 5-6 hours. Stir it every few hours so the meat doesn’t all cook in a clump.
At dinner time it’s ready!
So that’s my chili recipe! If you haven’t added chili to your weekly dinner rotation at your house, you definitely should. I’ll be sharing some great ideas for what to do with the leftovers in a few days too. So make your pot of chili and then check back in with me!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to pin it for later!
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.