Healthy Fall Chili Recipe

With fall in the air, visions of hot homemade chili with crunchy bread begin to come into our minds. Chili is a great, easy meal to make if you have a lot of teenaged boys who like to invite their friends over. It's a hearty meal that husbands really go for. It works just as well for company, as you can keep it in the crock pot until you are ready to serve it. I like to make large amounts and freeze it in individual containers to have on hand for quick lunches or to put over hot dogs and in Frito pie.

Here is our own family's favorite chili recipe:

2 to 3 pounds of ground chili meat, or half chili meat and half regular lean ground beef

2 8 ounce cans of tomato sauce

2 cups of water

1 teaspoon paprika

1 chopped small onion

1 crushed garlic clove

1 teaspoon ground red pepper

¼ cup chili powder, or to taste

1/8 cup flour

Brown ground beef and chili meat, drain off fat. Put the meat back in the pan and add the rest of the ingredients except the flour and mix well. Add more or less chili powder and red pepper, depending on how hot you want the chili to be. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring often. At this point, you can put the chili in a crock pot, and let it simmer on low for the afternoon, or while you are at church.

Mix flour with enough water to make a thin paste, add to the chili and mix well. Cover and simmer another ten minutes or until thick.

For a delicious variation, substitute beans for some of the meat, or even use beans instead of meat for a healthy substitute.

This recipe will serve about six people. If you have a large family or if you are having company over, simply double or triple the ingredients.

Serve your delicious homemade chili hot with lots of cheese, extra onions, and have on hand tortilla chips, crackers, cornbread or hot bread. Be sure and serve plenty of nice cold drinks with lots of ice if you make your chili extra hot.

Chili is a dish you can't go wrong with. Make a lot and use it for several different meals. It's a good dish to have on hand in the refrigerator or the freezer all the time.