My Best Chili
This recipe for chili combines traditional chili powder with an assortment of spices to create an amazing depth of flavor for a chili that is tasty without too much salt or spice. It's perfect when you want to serve warm comfort food on a cold day, or any time you want a make-ahead meal to serve at a party or other gathering.
Servings: 12
Note: If you are cooking for a particular style of eating, please check all of your ingredients carefully.
Ingredients
- 2 large onions (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 3 pounds ground beef (browned) (See Notes for variations)
- 22 ounces V-8 juice (See Notes for variations)
- 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano (or 4 teaspoons dried oregano)
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1 1/2 cups chopped celery (cooked)
- 3 15-ounce cans kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
- cayenne (optional)
- additional salt (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the onions in oil until they are soft. Add garlic and cook briefly.
- Mix all ingredients in a pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve with cayenne and salt on the side so guests who want more salt or spice can add it. Or, if you prefer, add additional salt and/or cayenne to your pot to your taste.
- Chili with Beef.
- Chili with less beef and with added carrots and corn (see Notes).
Notes
You can add more or less V-8, depending on how thick you like your chili.
To add more vegetables to your meal, you can change the amount of ground beef to 1 1/2 pounds and add 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots and 1 1/2 cups whole kernel corn. You can also experiment with other vegetables.
For a vegetarian/vegan option, omit the ground beef and add more vegetables and more beans.
In order to accommodate guests who want beef and guests who prefer a vegan/vegetarian option, one easy solution is to make the chili as described in the recipe, and before adding the beef, divide the chili into two pots. Add beef to one pot and additional vegetables and beans to the other pot.
To make chili at your cabin or vacation rental, mix the brown sugar and spices together at home, using the dried oregano option. When you cook the chili on your trip, you can simply pour in the spice mixture.
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