Three Pepper Beanless Chili
Whether it is a ‘chilly’ winter evening or you’re hosting the big game, chili is a hit with a crowd, and so versatile with toppings! A great way to fill everyone up with minimal effort!
Understanding your spice! This seems like a fairly straight forward concept, but there are a few easy cheat ways I think about heat to help me plan my meals: inside, outside, and presence. Inside-the seeds. Peppers naturally have seeds in them, and when included in the dish, will increase the spice level. If you are a spice lover, leaving these seeds in and just giving a rough chop to the pepper is a great way to utilize the whole pepper and embrace those flavors! Outside-the variety of pepper chosen. If you are a novice to peppers overall, I’d suggest looking at a Scoville chart before experimenting. What I find is that some peppers add a great flavor to what you are cooking, and some simply add heat. The reason for using three here is to give a range between this spectrum, but choose any variety you like! Presence-this is more about the lasting flavor/heat in the oil that the pepper omits. While cooking down, the pepper will affect the chili, and it’s good to know if you are dealing with a green bell pepper that adds flavor, or jalapeno seeds that will linger on your lips after each bite!
Not just for garnish! Building off of the above points, a beautiful aspect of chili when hosting a large crowd is how adaptable you can make this to fit everyone’s preferences. If some like a much hotter chili, it fun to have slices of jalapenos and a few jars of your favorite hot sauces for added heat. On the flip side, avocado, cheddar cheese and sour cream all work to tame the heat level, and are great for cooling down for a more mild bowl. Added bonus is that they make a great presentation!
Looking for other ways to use those spicy peppers? Check out some of these creative recipes:
Spicy Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo over Golden Cauliflower Rice
Rhubarb Jalapeno Basil Sauce over Bacon Wrapped Pork
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Three Pepper Beanless Chili
Equipment
- Kitchen knife
- Skillet
- Stockpot with lid
- Crockpot (optional)
- Can Opener
- Plastic Gloves
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ground Beef Could do half beef half ground turkey
- 1 8 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 8 oz can Petite Diced Tomatoes
- 1 small Yellow Onion
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 stalks Celery
- 1 large Green Pepper
- 1 medium Jalapeno Peppers
- 3 medium Hungarian Hot Peppers Could use another favorite of your choice
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 cup Stock
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper
- black olives, avocado, fresh parsley, sour cream, cheddar cheese optional for garnish
Instructions
- In a skillet, brown ground beef, draining excess liquid.
- While beef is browning, in stockpot, heat olive oil and add chopped onions and chopped celery until fragrant and translucent. Add in minced garlic and give just a few minutes for this to gain flavor.
- Being careful with pepper handling (wear gloves if available), remove seeds from jalapenos and Hungarian peppers and dice all peppers. For a hotter chili, leave seeds in. Add to the stockpot and stir well. Allow the peppers enough time to become al dente. This will also help open up the pepper flavors.
- Combine the drained beef into the stockpot and mix.
- Add all dried seasonings and mix thoroughly, giving a chance to blend the flavors. Add a splash of stock if needed.
- Once all flavors are blended together, add both cans of tomatoes and remaining stock. The liquid level should cover the ingredients. Add a bit more stock or water if needed.
- Cover stockpot with lid and turn heat to simmer. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes, tasting often and adjusting seasoning to preference. Variation-for a quick chili, keep heat higher and add more water, so this boils and creates a fast soup. Or, using a crockpot, place all ingredients in and add browned and drained beef, turning the pot on high for 4 hours. The trick to a great, thick chili is low and slow heat, so the longer this goes, the better it will taste!Garnish with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
