Chili - Vegetarian or Meat Options
No matter where you live, in the south or north, a hot bowl of homemade chili and some warm cornbread is a favorite! Our recipe can be made vegetarian or meat lover with just a few simple ingredient changes. You can use store canned or home preserved options for vegetables and herbs depending on what you have in your pantry. We love this recipe so much, we make it in large batches and freeze dry
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot
- 1 large spoon
- 1 paring knife and cutting board
- 1 set measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground meat or vegetarian meat substitute *You can omit the meat and add more beans if desired or cut ground meat in half and add cubed meat
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 cups broth (beef or vegetable) *additional can be added if needed
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes (two pints home canned) with juice
- 15 ounces kidney or red beans
- 15 ounces black beans
- 2 tbsp chili seasoning (our recipe is in the notes) * More can be added to taste
Instructions
- Add oil to the bottom of the pot and over medium heat, cook onions and garlic until softened.
- Add ground meat to the pot and stir until fully cooked and drain off grease of needed. If using vegetarian meat substitute, no draining is necessary
- Add diced tomatoes and beans to the cooked ingredients in the pot and stir until well blended.
- Add broth and chili seasoning and stir until thoroughly mixed. Add additional liquid if needed for consistency.
- Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes then reduce heat so chili is at a simmer and continue cooking for another 45 minutes stirring occasionally. If chili is too thick, additional liquid can be added. If chili is too liquid, simmer with cover removed to allow extra water to evaporate.
- Your chili is now ready to serve! We love to top each bowl with cheddar cheese before serving. Corn bread, biscuits or crackers are a great option to go with your chili along with fresh veggie sticks like carrots, celery or cucumber.
You can add instant rice to your chili mixture if it has too much liquid and allow rice to fully cook before serving which will absorb some of the extra liquid and extend the amount of servings for the recipe.
Notes
Homemade Chili Seasoning:
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme
Combine all ingredients together and mix. Store in an airtight container and mix again before using.