Beef and Bean Chili, AZ Style

 

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!