Snowed In? Frigid Temps? Time to Make Some Chili!

I love winter time – provided I don’t have to be outside in the snow and freezing cold temperatures for any period of time! We’ve been having unusually cold temperatures the past few days along with some snow and freezing rain, so I decided to rustle up a chili recipe to make for dinner this evening. I found this yummy recipe at www.recipe.com and brought to you by the fine folks at Better Homes and Gardens.

Homemade Chili
Photo by Dithie at Flickr

I’ve heard of folks putting chili over spaghetti – I’ve never had it that way – but I’m sure the right mix would be a kid-pleasing meal if your kids love spaghetti as much as my testosterone carriers do! Add cinnamon and other spices and serve this ground beef and bean mixture over spaghetti and you’ve got Cincinnati chili. Either way, it’s fast and hearty.

For those of you watching your weight – here is the nutritional information per serving:

Per serving: Calories 381, Total Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 71 mg, Sodium 1265 mg, Carbohydrate 35 g, Fiber 9 g, Protein 32 g. Daily Values: Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 0%, Calcium 11%, Iron 29%. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Servings: Makes 4 main-dish servings • Prep Time: 15 minutes • Total Time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pound  lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup  chopped green sweet pepper (1 small)
  • 1/2 cup  chopped onion (1 medium)
  • 4 cloves  garlic, minced
  • 1 15-ounce can  tomato sauce
  • 1 15-ounce can  red kidney beans, undrained
  • 1 14.5-ounce can  diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons  chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon  salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon  dried basil, crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon  ground black pepper
  • Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
  • Chopped onion (optional)
  • Dairy sour cream (optional)
  • Crushed red pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

  • In a 3-quart saucepan cook and stir ground beef, sweet pepper, 1/2 cup chopped onion, and the garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat.
  • Stir in tomato sauce, undrained beans, undrained tomatoes, chili powder, salt, basil, and black pepper.
  • Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
  • To serve, ladle chili into bowls. If desired, top each serving with cheese, chopped onion, and/or sour cream and pass crushed red pepper. 

Chili for Two: Prepare as above, except divide all ingredients in half.

Cincinnati-Style Chili: Prepare as above, except omit sweet pepper, basil, and optional garnishes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper with the tomato sauce. To serve, place 1/2 cup hot cooked spaghetti on each of 4 serving plates; make an indentation in center of each portion. Top each serving with some of the chili, 1 to 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese, 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped onion, and/or 1/4 cup additional kidney beans.

Find more great Food Talk and Recipes from Life in a House of Testosterone!

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