Keeping Warm This Winter With This Red Chili Recipe

The weather in my neck of the woods is cold. For the fourth week in a row our temps have dipped to -20 at night and during the day we are lucky to break 0. This time of year calls for dinners that will warm you up from the inside out and red chili is one of those meals from me. Sprinkled with some cheddar cheese and served with a side of cornbread. I would say that this was a comfort food for me growing up. My mom’s chili is loved far and wide. Who would have thought that people would flock to her house for something as simple as chili but it happens!

Here is my own red chili recipe below. While it is not quite my moms and I am still working on perfecting it, this is sure does the trick in my house. The boys leave the table satisfied after second helpings.

One of the best parts of red chili? How well if freezes!! Meals that only need made once and can be used for several meals down the road are a must in my house. With two lay down freezers I have plenty of room to store goodies like red chili for those nights when you just don’t want to cook. Please keep that in mind as you read the ingredients for my red chili. I always aim for leftovers so you could make a smaller batch by cutting everything in half. You will end up with more kidney beans in your chili as you will still use the full can but is that really a problem? They are my favorite bean in red chili actually.

The Cast of Red Chili

2 lbs ground hamburger
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 15 oz can of chili beans
1 15 can of tomato sauce
1 15 oz can of kidney beans
7 tablespoons of diced dried onions
4 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of onion powder
If you like some kick you could add some crushed red pepper to your mix but with my kids I can’t add the hot stuff

Red Chili Directions

1. Start with a big pan and brown your hamburger. I brown mine right in the pot I will be cooking the chili in. Who’s complaining about less dishes.

2. Add the dried onions, garlic powder and onion powder to your hamburger as it is browning.

3. After your hamburger has browned have your kids help you open all those cans of goodies to add to your chili. Add the diced tomatoes, chili beans, tomato sauce and kidney beans to your browned hamburger. Give it a good mix and turn your heat down to low to simmer for an hour or more.  If your in a rush you can turn the heat up and heat your ingredients all the way through to have your meal on the table in 30 minutes or less.

4. Serve with your favorite chili toppings! We use shredded cheese, tortillas and cornbread.