'Tis the season for lots of sweets and little time, which means that a filling, savory dinner that can be made in 30 minutes is a godsend.
Ok, I know what you're thinking: 'Um, excuse me, Nicole. There's no way that chili can taste good unless it's been cooking all day.' Yeah, I know. We were skeptics, too. But then I got busy and decided I'd give it a shot.
And you know what? It was actually good. We couldn't tell the difference between normal take-forever-chili and quick-30-minutes-chili. You just need to make sure that you do the right things to bring out the flavor super quickly.
Sorry for the crummy photo of it. We were about to dig in, and you're lucky you even got this one.
Quick Chili
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen 30 Minute Meals
Be sure to start your rice and cornbread before starting your chili or else you'll be sitting around waiting for the rice to finish. I usually make my own cornbread from scratch (making this take longer than 30 minutes), but in a hurry, I use a normal Jiffy box with a teaspoon of added sugar.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 T Canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 T chili powder
1 T ancho chili powder (adds a smoky heat; definitely recommend it. If you don't have it, substitute regular chili powder, but this is key, in my opinion)
2 T tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes (I like Muir Glen's Fire Roasted Diced)
2 (16 oz) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt & pepper
Heat oil over medium-high in Dutch oven or stock pot until it's thin and shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened.
Add both chili powders, tomato paste, garlic, and cumin to the onions. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 or so seconds.
Add beef and cook until no longer pink. Use your spoon to break up the pieces as it cooks.
Add tomatoes and beans. Cook for about 15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Seriously easy. Serve over rice and with cornbread. And, if you're my husband, serve with cheddar on top.
I make my chili this way but add a can of chicken stock and cook it down. I also add about 1/4 cup of day old coffee. Adds to the smokey flavor. Saw someone do that years ago on the cooking channel & I've done it ever since.
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