Quick Fix "No Kick" Chili

Aliyah Spears
Aliyah Spears, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jul 22, 2011 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."
In tribute to 'One Pot Meals' here's an easy, American style chili dish. The good news is...you can prepare it after work with little effort. Or, fix it in advance and heat when ready. It's just the help you need to get dinner on the table, on the fly.
Category
Side Dish, Soup, Stews and Chili
Cuisine
American
Main Ingredients
Kid-Friendly
Prep Time
 30 min
Cook Time
2 hrs  
Total Time
2 hrs  30 min

Ingredients

Serves 10
i 2 1/2 pounds ground beef
i 2 (32-ounce) jars of spaghetti sauce (Prego, Classico, Paul Newman etc.)
i 2 (16-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes (whole, halves or diced)
ii 1 (16-ounce can kidney beans (drained)
i 3/4 cup onion , coarsely chopped
i 3/4 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped**
i 1/2 cup green bell pepper, sliced julienne (strips)**
i 2 tablespoons oregano
i 2 teaspoons garlic powder (divide in half)
i 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin on the diagonal
i 2 tablespoons chili powder, (mild or season to taste)
i 1 tablespoon olive oil
i 5 basil leaves, whole uncut
i 1 teaspoon natural sea salt
i 1/2 level teaspoon black pepper
i Garnish
i 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella or colby)
i 1 8-ounce container of sour cream
i 3 tablespoons scallions
Print Recipe

Directions for Quick Fix "No Kick" Chili

1
Prep the pan
Start by heating the oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes or until hot.
2
Saute
Add the onions and coarsely chopped green bell peppers. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon garlic over onions and green bell peppers. Lightly saute and stir for about 3 minutes (vegetables should not be soft). Remove vegetables from heat and cool.
3
Season the meat
In metal mixing bowl, add vegetables to ground beef. Add second teaspoon of garlic powder (reserve a dash for final sesoning), salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
4
Brown the meat
Return the meat to the skillet and brown. Use a spatula to chop meat into small pieces while it cooks. Chop continually. Drain excess oil. *A colander or strainer is good to drain the fat quickly and thoroughly.
5
Now the sauce
In a large saucepot, add the ground beef mixture, spaghetti sauce, drained stewed tomatoes, oregano, sliced cloves of garlic and chili powder. Stir gently.
6
Season the seasonings
Top sauce in the center with julienne strips of green bell pepper and whole leaf basil. Sprinkle bell pepper and basil with dash of garlic.
7
Simmer
Cover and simmer over low heat for 90 minutes, stirring occassionally.
8
Add beans
Remove basil leaves. Add drained kidney beans. Stir.
9
Simmer some more...
Simmer an additional 30 minutes. Then serve.
10
Garnish
Top each serving with a generous dollop of sour cream. On top sour cream add a sprinkle of cheese, then a sprinkle of scallions.
11
Southwest style
Serve with tortilla chips for Mexican style.
12
**Note
Green bell peppers are optional when cooking this chili for kids. Although not a hot pepper, green bell pepper has a biting taste to kids.
Tip
This chili dish is equally delicious anytime: as a Saturday night dinner, as an entree for a Sunday afternoon football gathering and especially on cold winter days when nothing else will do.

To comment, please sign in to your Yahoo! account, or sign up for a new account.