You don't have to eat beans and rice to save money, you just have to be smart! This recipe is a smart one. Affordable at the basic level with a pound of ground beef, a few cans of beans and tomato products and an onion and bit of pepper, it's still affordable made with leftovers too. You'll see what I mean in a minute because here is the important thing about this recipe: CHANGE IT.
No really.
Your family doesn't like green peppers? Leave them out. Love garlic? Add more. Got some extra leftover steak to use up? Do it! Dice it and add it immediately! This chili is the best with leftover grilled sirloin or rib-eye! (*remember I always tell my readers to SAVE leftovers! That's what your freezer is for and you can always use them in soups and stews later on!).
This is a basic recipe I made up back in 1996 when my kids were little and I had to spice to a minimum. Today's chili looks only vaguely similar to this recipe as I added 1 pound of ground beef, 1 pound of leftover steak, diced, 2 diced pork chops, about 2 T minced garlic, no crushed tomatoes, a quart of homemade tomato juice in its place and no tomato sauce, but added a can of diced tomatoes instead. I also threw in a dash of worcestershire sauce just for the heck of it.
See?
Play with the recipe, add and delete... make it yours!
Chili
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 T garlic, freshly minced or chopped fine
1/2 c diced green pepper
2 T chili powder
1 t cumin
2 cans hot chili beans
1 lg. can crushed tomatoes
8 oz. tomato sauce
salt and pepper
Brown the ground beef with the onions and peppers. Add the garlic and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil then turn down and simmer slowly for as little as 20 minutes or as long as a few hours. You can also let it cool, refrigerate it and reheat it the next day - which many people say is the best.
