Leslie's Quick and Easy Chili

Whaat? Another recipe? Has the woman lost her mind? No, my friend requested this recipe so I thought "Put it on your blog!"

This is not the hottest, spiciest chili. Nor does it have beans. I also cheat and use commercial seasoning. 

My ex mother-in-law, who was from Texas, taught me a long time ago how to make great homemade chili from scratch. And I was really proud of that 'real chili'. In fact, some of you will look at this recipe and think "That's NOT real chili."

However, this is not that chili. My husband suffers from IBS, so I have had to 'cook around him' since we met.  Depending on your perspective, it may not be 'real chili'. But it tastes wonderful and we love it.

Leslie's Quick and Easy Chili

• 2 pounds ground beef (chuck)
• 1 small to medium diced onion
• 1 large (28 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 14.5 oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (there is also a salsa style one w/peppers if you want to turn up the heat a bit)
• 1 tomato sauce can of water
• 2 packets of mild chili seasoning
• 1 generous Tbsp. each of cumin (comino), chili powder, and cilantro.
• Dash of garlic powder

About 3 cups peeled, diced potatoes (this is in lieu of beans. If you'd rather have beans, go for it! When I did make chili with beans, I used 1 15 oz. can each (drained and rinsed) dark kidney and red beans, but you use whatever you prefer.)

In a dutch oven or soup/stockpot, brown the ground beef and onion over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. When the beef is cooked through, add the remaining ingredients (except the garlic) and stir well. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to a simmer. Stir occasionally to keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Throw in the dash of garlic just prior to serving.

Serve with shredded cheese on top, if you like. Hubby covers his with cheese, while I pile on the saltines!

This makes a big pot of chili. We eat it for a couple of days and freeze the rest for a rainy day. Hope you enjoy!

Till next time,

"I'm the kind of person who will drive three hours for a bowl of chili. I'm not a three star restaurant kind of person; I'm just a food person." ~ Nora Ephron