Chili is a staple comfort food, and for very good reason. It’s hearty, filling, and its uses go way beyond being a simple weeknight dinner. If you’re looking for the most classic version to come home to after a long day, then this is the recipe for you. It’s an easy dinner that you can leave on the stove to simmer for an hour and when you come back to it, it’s full of flavour.
When it comes to making a good chilli, spice is king. Everyone knows a good chili has complex flavors, thanks in part to all the different spices at work. I’ve read that some cooks swear by all sorts of spices—everything from cocoa to mustard powder. I think we’ll leave the extremes to the pros and focus on using these four: chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, and paprika.
Storage — One of our favorite things about chili? It tastes even better the next day. If you have any leftovers, store them in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
Ingredients
Oil, for cooking
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopping
2 tsp soft light brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp of paprika or cayenne pepper
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of chilli powder
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
650-700g of mince beef
1 glug of good red wine (optional)
1 x 400g tinned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 x 400g tinned cherry tomatoes
Few glugs of worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Heat the oil in the pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes or until translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for one minute, then stir in the brown sugar, bay leaf, all the spices, red pepper, chilli and minced beef. Use a spoon to bread up any large bits of meat, turn up the heat and keep stirring so it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Once the meat has turned brown, add the wine in and cook for two minutes to burn off the alcoholic smell. If not using, skip this stage.
Add the tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, kidney beans and a good amount of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and leave to simmer for one hour. Stir at the 30 minute mark. If the liquid had evaporated, add some stock or water. Leave to simmer.
I like to best serve this with some lime coriander rice, but you can serve it with whatever you like. Maybe some tortilla chips, sourced cream or with thick wraps.
Oooooh, yummy, Natalie! I've made a big batch of chilli in the slow cooker just this morning, actually - great minds think alike! My secret weapon is smoked paprika.... 😍
I've got nine portions of it cooling down ready to freeze into campervan-tiny-freezer-friendly blocks of deliciousness - it's the perfect homecooked meal for on the road!