Easy Chili from Leftovers

from ButterYum

Ingredients

• 2 cups leftover meat sauce (made with ground beef, or ground turkey)

• 2 cups leftover beef taco filling (also made with ground beef or ground turkey)

• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (or to taste)

• Optional Garnish: diced tomatoes, diced sweet bell peppers, minced red onions, sliced scallions or chives, cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro or parsley, hot sauce, crushed red pepper

Directions

1. Combine ingredients and heat through.

Notes: I make my meat sauce with either ground beef or ground turkey (which ever I have on hand at the time). I start by sauteing one jumbo Spanish onion in olive oil; sauteing until the onion starts to caramelize, then I add 3-4 cloves of pressed or minced garlic; stirring for about a minute. Then I add 3 lbs. of ground beef or turkey and S&P to taste; cooking until browned; stirring occasionally to break up the clumps. If I'm using ground beef, I'll drain away any fat (not necessary if using ground turkey). Then I add an equal amount of the cooked meat to my favorite San Marzano Tomato Sauce (but you could use whatever tomato sauce you like), and heat until bubbly.

I make my taco filling the same way as described above, but instead of adding tomato sauce, I add one large can of refried beans, a couple of teaspoons of taco seasoning, and a little water. Combine well and heat until bubbly.

Because the meat sauce and taco filling are both seasoned already, I don't add any additional S&P when turning the leftovers into chili.