Beanless Chili Recipe
2 lbs. ground beef
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper, chopped*
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 quart jar (or about 32 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1 pint jar (or about 15 oz.) tomato sauce
32 oz. beef broth
7 oz. tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder**
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
sea salt and pepper
* For chili that isn't very spicy, use a jalapeno and remove all the seeds. For more heat, keep some or all of the seeds in. For hotter chili, use a Serrano pepper; again, the more seeds you leave in, the hotter the chili will be. I recommend wearing gloves when chopping chilies.
** If you like spicy chili, this amount of chili powder is a starting point. After the chili has simmered 10 minutes or so, taste it; add more chili powder, if desired.
1. In a skillet, thoroughly cook the ground beef. Drain off fat.
2. In a large pot, combine all the ingredients. Cover and bring to a simmer. If you're in a hurry, don't use a lid and simmer for about a half hour, but the flavors will be better if you simmer the chili for several hours. Keep the lid on if you want more liquid in the chili, and remove the lid if you want to cook off some of the liquid.
3. When you think the chili is done, taste it. If you want more spiciness, see the asterisk notes above. Or if you just want stronger overall flavor, add a bit more salt.Â
NUTRITIONAL INFO. It's always more accurate to calculate nutritional ingredients based on the exact products you are using; however, according to NutritionValue.org, this recipe (12 servings) has 269 calories, 17 g. fat, and 14 carbohydrates, and 181 g. protein per serving.