Simple, speedy, spicy chili for dinner

By Elisha Quintana,
Staff writer
February 20, 2007

Have you ever been left home alone in an empty house? And your stomach growls, but there are not any leftovers in sight. Never fear because a bowl of delicious chili can be created in seven easy steps.

Step 1: Rinse 4 cups of pinto beans and boil them at a medium temperature. Add a dash of onion powder and chopped garlic to the boiling beans.

* Tip: Cook beans the night before you plan a meal of chili because they take approximately 2 hours to fully cook. For the spontaneous chili craving, canned beans offer an quick and easy alternative.

Step 2: Cook 1 lb. of 73% lean ground beef in a separate pan. When it starts to brown, add salt and pepper.

Step 3: Once beans are fully cooked, transfer them to a larger pot and heat at a medium temperature.

Step 4: While the beans are heating, add ¼ cup of chili powder and mix thoroughly; then add approximately 3 dashes of ground cumin.

Step 5: Then add 2, 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce to the beans and mix well.

Step 6: Next, add 2 cups of the ground beef to the beans.

Step 7: Dice one Roma tomato and add the tomato pieces to the mixture.

Let the chili sit for about 10 minutes to cool, then enjoy.


Serving suggestions:

* 1/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese
* 1 medium chopped yellow onion
* 1/4 cup of Ortega chili peppers
* 1 can Kidney beans
* 2 dollops of sour cream
* 1/2 bell peppers
* Tortilla chips
* A piece of bread (dinner rolls, a slice of wheat bread, corn bread), to wipe the bowl clean!

For more information please visit the following:

Chili information and recipes

Chili variations