Homemade Chili

 

Chili is one of those staple dishes that should always be served on a cold fall or winter day. It should not be just a soupy cup or bowl of a liquid filled with onion peppers and tomatoes with a bit of ground meat mixed in. To me, Chili is hearty enough to have chunks of ground meat and sweet and mild or hot sausage mixed with those chunks of peppers, onions, and diced tomatoes. Yum yum. Here is my absolute necessary recipe I’ve followed for the last 40 years.  If done right you should have 12 servings that can last a few meals.

Ingredients 

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 ½ pounds lean ground beef

6 links sweet and mild sausage cut up into cubes

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 pinch garlic powder, or to taste

2 beef bouillon cubes

 2 cups water

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 ½ teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 (16 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans  

 1 teaspoon ground cumin

 Directions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion, bell pepper, and garlic in the hot oil until softened.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; add Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Crumble bouillon cubes over beef and add sausage. Continue to cook, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until liquid is hot, about 5 minutes. Stir beef mixture into pepper mixture.

Stir in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and water to the beef mixture. Season with chili powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, brown sugar, basil, paprika, salt, oregano, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until meat and vegetables are very tender and flavors have developed in the chili, about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Rinse kidney beans then add to the pot of meat and veggies. Continue to simmer until beans are hot, about 30 minutes more.

 

 Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top. Enjoy