Diving into a bowl of steaming chili is one of the great joys in life. You can tweak your traditional recipe to suit your tastes whenever you please, adding or removing ingredients as you see fit. Chili offers us comfort (and leftovers) and it’s a flexible recipe, ready to take on new forms on a whim. However, we all need a jumping point and when we need a classic chili recipe we can make our own, this is the only one you need.
A Wonderful Classic Chili Recipe
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 52-ounce can Brooks Quick Chili Mix
- 1 pound Edmonds beef chili (frozen block)
- 1 package Dry Chili Man Chili seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cups water
Supplies
- Skillet
- Sieve
- 5-quart pot
Directions
In a skillet, add your ground beef with salt and pepper to taste; cook over medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes or until the ground beef browns.
Drain the beef in a sieve once everything has browned.
Once the beef has been drained, place it in a 5-quart pot along with the chili mix, beef chili, chili seasoning, chili powder, and the water.
Let everything simmer on the stove for one hour, stirring occasionally to mix all the flavours together (you can also toss your ingredients in a 5-quart crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours).
Additional Methods
The Spice Is Right
In this recipe alone, there are a few ways you can switch things up to suit your tastes. If you’re interested in a spicier chili, you can always add a pinch or two of more chili powder. You can also lessen the amount to half a teaspoon if you like your chili on the milder side.
Don’t forget that you can forego the beef for a little quinoa, peppers, tomatoes, and beans to make things totally vegan-safe. The “meat” may be vegan, but you can still toss in whichever spices you please to give things more flavor.
Thick Or Thin?
You can also vary the amounts of water you use based on your desired thickness. More water will thin things out whereas less water will give you a thick chili you can really sink your teeth into. Water is a classic ingredient to use for chili, but you can also use beef or vegetable stock if you’re inclined. You can still experiment with the amount you use to achieve your desired thickness.
Great Partners
Chili sure is nice, but there are a few side dishes to make things even better. Try pairing your chili with:
- Garlic bread
- Rice
- Cornbread
- French fries
You can also add some shredded cheese or chopped green onion over the top. Sour cream isn’t out of the question either…
However you choose to make your chili, you can turn this classic recipe into something all its own! Stick with the basics for a good starting point or play around with the spices and ingredients to create something personal to you.
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