When freezing winter weather chills you to the bones it's time to heat up with a pot of southern-style chili beans. I love a good bowl of chili beans in the wintertime. It warms my soul.
Chili beans are super easy to put together and they can be made to suit whatever your taste. It is also a great recipe if you have a large family to feed. I must admit though, until now, I have only ever loved my mother's chili beans. When I was young, I have great memories of playing outdoors in the snow and coming in to enjoy a nice hot bowl of chili beans. Mom had a simple straightforward recipe, nothing fancy, but oh so delicious.
This recipe has mom's recipe at the heart of it but dressed up here and there and with a little kick. This recipe will serve around eight or more. It will take approximately an hour and a half and that's including prep time.
Ingredients
4 lbs of ground beef - I used 5 lbs
2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce - I used an extra 15 oz can since I increased my beef amount
1/4 cup of chili powder
6 cloves of garlic - minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
4 15 oz cans of red kidney beans - drained/rinsed
2 tsp salt
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1/2 cup masa harina corn flour or corn meal
1 tsp pepper
1 large bag of shredded cheddar cheese - for topping
1 container of sour cream - for topping
4 fresh jalapeno peppers - optional
Prep
Use disposable gloves when working with jalapeno peppers. Wash and chop.
Open all the cans
Drain and rinse the beans
Measure out the ingredients
Peel and mince the garlic
Let's get cooking
You'll want a large heavy pot for this. First, brown the ground beef with the garlic until it is cooked. Drain off the grease leaving some behind for flavor and to add moisture.
Now add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper, pepper, jalapeno peppers, and salt. Mix it up well and cover the pot. Heat should be on low and allow to simmer for 1 hour while stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 cups of water if needed.
In a small bowl, add the masa harina (or corn meal) with 1/2 cup of water and stir with a fork until it is smooth.
Now stir the mixture in with the chili and add the kidney beans. Allow to simmer and thicken for another ten minutes then it's ready to serve.
Now for the toppings. You may want to whip up a plate of nice, hot cornbread. Chili beans go great with tortilla chips or saltine crackers. I prefer Frito Lays. They are wonderful with chili beans. Top it off with some shredded cheese and sour cream and enjoy!
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do. Don't worry if you are not a fan of heat. I would classify this as a medium-heat recipe. It's right on the line of not quite hot enough and slightly too hot for those who prefer it mild. You can always adjust to taste.
Have a blessed day and thanks for reading.