Crowd Pleasin Chili

Chili is one of those go to recipes I use on cold days or when I need to feed a crowd. Chili is also a great dish to serve on game day. It's versatile and goes with lots of other different dishes. Serve it over hot dogs. Top it with cheese and crunchy tortilla strips. Wrap it in a soft tortilla shell with some sour cream. Make it spicy or sweet. Meatless or with different meaty combos. Chunky or saucy. Canned tomatoes and red kidney beans make it so much easier and FASTER to make chili.

Here's how I make mine. It's chunky, meaty and makes enough to feed a small army.

Ingredients
3 cans diced tomatoes any brand
1 pound ground beef browned & drained
1/2 pound other ground meat browned & drained
2 cans light red kidney beans drained and rinsed well
1 onion diced
2 green bell peppers chopped
2 red or orange bell peppers chopped
salt, pepper & other spices

Directions
In a large pot, combine meat, onions, peppers and a dash of salt over medium heat to lightly sautee. Once veggies start to loosen up a little, add the diced tomatoes with juices. Allow to cook over medium heat for approximately 20 minutes. Reduce heat, add kidney beans, one can of water plus salt, pepper, and spices and simmer another 15 minutes.

Chili Cooking Tips

• The amount of salt and spice will vary depending on the flavor and type of tomatoes, meats, and beans you use in the recipe. Home canned beans and tomatoes will have a distinctly different taste than mass produced canned goods from the store. Using spicy sausage instead of ground turkey will add a different flavor too.
• Taste the chili once you've added all your ingredients - minus any spices. Slowly add spices, one by one, mixing well with the chili and tasting after each to get a sense of how each spice affects the dish.
• Start with lower amounts of hot spices like red pepper flakes, paprika, and cayenne. Once the chili simmers, it opens up those spices so the flavor increases as it simmers.
• If you end up with chili way to spicy to eat. Try draining some of the liquid and adding plain hot water till it's diluted to a reasonable "heat" level.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.
Jenn also blogs about crafts, food, and family life at Frugal Front Porch.