I’m sure there are a lot of reasons why chili is an elusive
dish for me. We didn’t really have it often when I was growing up. I met my
husband in high school and he’s not such a fan. At the end of the day, it just
wasn’t on my radar as a meal to master.
And then I had kids!
Kids changed my perspective. We are often on-the-go with
activities, concerts, friends gatherings, and everything else that comes with
life. I am always looking for meals that I can make ahead, or prep in the instant
pot or slow cooker to be ready when we are.
We have a version of chili, but it’s basically ground meat
and onion with taco seasoning and a can of ranch beans. It’s the most basic
version you can have, but my kids like it and it works great as tacos. My
husband is still not a fan, but I thought it was because of the beans (which
the kids love and request when I don’t include them).
I thought maybe things would go better if I didn’t have
beans in the chili. A traditional Texas style chili! All the meat and none of
the beans! Perfect!
I found this amazing recipe to work with. I made a few tweeks
here and there and used the instant pot to do my searing and slow cooking. It
allowed me to keep running my errands while it cooked, and get some corn bread
ready.
I served it that night and the kids really liked it, but
they felt it needed beans. Who would have thought? Meanwhile, my husband still wasn’t
feeling it even with no beans. I added beans to the mix and the kids couldn’t stop
eating! They’ve requested it several times since, and we have made some changes
to make it our own amazing Texas chili with beans. It’s just what needs to
happen.
I used diced beef instead of ground beef because I wanted to
have small bites of a softer meat than ground beef can provide. Ground beef
works great though, and so does ground turkey. If you use ground turkey, you
can use chicken broth instead of beef broth. The flavors go really well together.
Serve the chili with shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream,
guacamole, or tortilla strips. You can also serve it with corn bread or corn muffins.
Absolutely delicious!
Beef and Bean Chili, AZ Style
2 lbs meat (diced beef, ground beef, or even ground turkey)
2 Tbs EVOO
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1-2 jalapeños, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin, dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 can (6oz) tomato paste
2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can (15oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat some EVOO in a cast iron dutch oven. While that heats
up, prep all of your veggies, open your cans, and measure out your spices. It
will make things go much faster.
When the oil is just smoking, add a third of the meat and sear
it. You don’t need to cook it through, this is just to brown. After a few
minutes and a good sear, remove the meat to a plate or bowl and continue to
sear the rest of the meat.
Once all the meat is seared, heat the last of the oil and
brown the onions and peppers. Once the onions are nicely browned, add the
garlic. After just a minute, add the spices and allow to cook for a minute or
two. Now add the tomato paste and mix with the veggies and spices. Use some of
the beef broth to scrape the bottom of the pot. Slowly add the rest of the broth
and return the meat to the pot. Add the tomatoes and their juices, and the
beans and stir everything together. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste and the
bay leaf.
Let the chili cook for 2-3 hours to allow the meat to soften
and the beans to become softer and creamier. Serve with corn muffins, cheese, or
any other topping you might like.
*This works in the instant pot as well. Set the pot to sauté
and follow the steps above. Once everything is in the pot, turn off sauté
and switch it to slow cooker on low. Place the lid on with the
vent open and allow it to cook for 2-3 hours. Once it’s cooked, you can remove
the lid and turn it back to sauté to reduce the sauce a bit, or place
the chili in a dutch oven on the stove top for about 30 minutes to reduce the
sauce.
**This dish reheats really well also. I simply put it back on
the stove top in a dutch oven and warm it up for about 20-30 minutes. Voila!