Quick chili without compromising on flavour
This post is in partnership with Meyer Canada
Today we’re sharing a recipe that I make often. It’s my chili in 20 minutes recipe. Don’t be fooled by how fast it’s prepared, because it’s absolutely delicious.
I know what you’re asking right now, “Nelson, isn’t chili more of an autumn or winter meal?” And, “Nelson, who wants to heat up their kitchen on hot summer days?” Well, this quick chili is the best of both worlds–feed your summertime craving for chili, quickly, without turning your kitchen into a sauna on a summer day. You know… so you can spend more time outside, where these days the weather feels more like a constant sauna.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of slow-cooked meals and spending hours in the kitchen, but sometimes I just have to get food on the table fast so I can spend more time enjoying other activities with my family.
The one thing I won’t do is compromise on the quality and flavour of my meals, just to be quick, but there’s no compromising with this recipe!
This is my go-to recipe for a packed hot lunch
Like many people, I try to pack a lunch for work. It’s cheaper and often healthier than visiting the cafeteria.
Now that we’re in pandemic mode, my work cafeteria is offering a limited selection of foods. This means no more salad bar. Most of the other food options aren’t ideal diabetic-friendly meals.
Every evening, I pack my work lunch for the next day. When I don’t have enough leftovers at home for my packed lunch I’ll just make a salad, which is great, but other times I crave a nice hot meal for work. This is where a recipe like this 20-minute chili comes into play. It’s fast and I can prepare it just before bedtime.
Leftovers, pantry staples, and perfect tools to the rescue
The beauty of this recipe is that you likely already have most of what you need at home. From spices, to canned beans, and tomato sauce, you’re pretty much already set with a visit to your own pantry.
Use leftover homemade tomato sauce or open a jar of your favourite store or market-bought sauce. I tend to make large batches of tomato sauce because it’s such a staple of our home. I keep it in the fridge and we use it for different meals throughout the week. It’s perfect for pasta, roasted veggies, baked fish, pizza and many other meals.
I often prepare dried beans for my recipes, but I always have some cans in the pantry for a quick backup plan. Canned beans are perfect here.
I also keep a supply of vacuum-sealed ground beef packages in 1 pound portions, in the freezer. A few minutes in the microwave on the defrost setting and voila, you have your protein ready to cook for the recipe.
My awesome set of pots and pans is perfect for quickly and evenly cooking everything simultaneously–keeping my time in the kitchen down to a minimum.
Completely customizable chili recipe
One major plus to this recipe is that it’s easy to adjust a few things to make it more to your personal preference.
Here are some suggestions to help make this recipe your own:
- You can cook up dried beans instead of using canned, if you have more time to work with.
- Use white kidney beans or another favourite instead of red kidney beans.
- We used leftover tomato sauce from our Nonna-approved tomato sauce recipe, but feel free to use your own or even a favourite jarred sauce.
- We used ground beef, but you can use ground pork or ground turkey instead. If you prefer a meatless version, just add all the ingredients that would have gone into the meat, into the pot with the beans and tomato sauce instead, and cook for the same amount of time.
- Change up the spice/heat level based on your personal heat tolerance. Add or reduce chili flakes, chili peppers and hot sauce.
- Hate cilantro? No problem! Substitute with fresh parsley or leave it out all together.
We’re thrilled to be partnering with Meyer Canada
I’ve been a big fan of Chef Michael Smith for many years. I love his laid back style of cooking with quality ingredients and how he encourages people to step outside of the recipe to experiment with flavours.
Partnering with Meyer was a no-brainer for me when I saw him speak highly of Meyer’s cookware. At that level of cooking, you don’t use poor quality equipment. He cooks with Meyer in his own kitchen, so it’s obviously a brand I can trust in my kitchen.
I’m now proudly using the Meyer Confederation cookware set and I’m loving this cookware! It’s built solid, it cooks food evenly, the cookware has beautiful clean lines and it’s built in Canada, in Price Edward Island, which, as a Canadian, makes me feel really proud.
We absolutely love visiting the Canadian East Coast, and we’re pretty sure we’ll be paying our friends at Meyer a visit during our next road trip to the East Coast.
Add some comfort food to your summer cooking repetoire
Summers aren’t meant for cooking over a hot stove for hours. That’s what the cold-weather seasons are for (and we get plenty of that here in Canada). But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a favourite comfort food meal whenever you crave it. With quality tools and ingredients, you can be chillin’ next to the sprinkler with a bowl of chili in your hands, in no time.
Make today yummy, friends!
Make this quick and easy chili with leftovers, and feel free to modify it completely. Chili is the perfect customizable food.
- 2 cans red kidney beans , 1080 ml or 38 fl oz
- 4 cups tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 0.8 kg or 1.76 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tbsp Franks hot sauce or other mild hot sauce
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup cilantro , roughly chopped
- 1/2 chili pepper chopped
- sour cream, optional
- shredded cheddar cheese, optional
Place a pot on the stove, heat to medium and add the beans and tomato sauce, and stir.
Place a medium size stainless steel pan on the stove, set to medium heat and add the oil.
Once the oil is hot, add the ground beef and break it apart with a spoon to create a layer of ground beef on the bottom of the pan.
Cook the ground beef until it starts to brown, use the spoon to continue breaking the ground beef apart into smaller pieces.
It should start browning after about 7 minutes, give or take.
Add the salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, cumin, chili powder, chili flakes, hot sauce, wine, and stir to make sure the ground beef is coated in the spices. Let cook for another 2 minutes.
Transfer the cooked ground beef mixture to the pot with the beans and tomato sauce.
Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and mix in the cilantro and chopped chili peppers.
Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and some shredded cheddar cheese for a little freshness. Enjoy!
The recipes is completely customizable, here are some ideas:
- You can cook up some beans or use canned like we did to get dinner on the table quickly
- You can use white kidney beans or other favourite beans instead of the red kidney beans.
- We used left over tomato sauce from our Nonna-approved tomato sauce recipe, but feel free to use your own or even a favourite jarred sauce.
- We used ground beef, but you can use ground pork or ground turkey instead. If you prefer a meatless version, just skip the meat browning steps. Add all ingredients to the pot with the beans and tomato sauce, and cook for the same amount of time.
- Change up the heat/spice level based on your personal heat tolerance. Add or reduce chili flakes, chili peppers and hot sauce.
- Hate cilantro? No problem! Substitute with fresh parsley or leave it out all together.
The ground beef may seem a little salty, but don’t worry because you won’t be adding anymore salt to the pot with the beans and tomato sauce. If you’re concerned, leave out some of the salt and then adjust at the end.
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