Go to your cupboard and take a peek inside. Do you see any canned product that calls itself chili, get rid of it. Don’t throw it away, just donate it to your local food bank. You might be wondering why we would ask you to do something like that. And then again, you might have realized that this is a cooking blog.
Today’s recipe is going to be a perfect example of an easy meal that could come from a can but doesn’t have to (okay, it’s made from canned goods, but not just a single can). We’ve made this a couple times and the truth is, the more we make it the better it gets because we adjust it more and more. This recipe is the basics to a chili but certainly feel free to change it any way you like.
If you have an old family secret chili recipe or have a great idea that you would like to share, send it our way by emailing us at mail@cooking-in-college.com
Oh and just a quick suggestion, this chili goes REALLY well with our corn cake recipe!
Homemade Chili
Chili is a classic fall recipe that will stick to your bones and keep you nice an warm!
- Servings – 8 to 10
- Prep time – 5 minutes
- Cook time – 70 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 3 medium onions chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
- 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) red kidney beans
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Protocol
1. In a large pot over medium heat, brown the ground beef and onions. Drain the excess fat.
2. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the pot, stir together and turn down the heat to low and let it simmer for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes or so. If you have the time, let it simmer longer so all the flavors can really come together.
3. Make sure to keep tasting the chili and add any of the “seasonings” that will make it taste the way you want to.
4. Serve, top with sour cream and cheese and enjoy!
-D&E
Cooking in College 
Just wanted you to know that I took your advice and bought all the ingredients and cooked myself some chili. It was fantastic! And I’ve got enough to last me the week. Thanks so much!
That is great to hear! Good luck with your kitchen adventures!
-D&E
Hey guys! I’m a college sophomore just starting to cook on my own. I’m on a limited budget but I’d really like to make some chili. Which items on the list are the non-essentials? Is there anything I could take out so I don’t have to buy all those ingredients (I already have beef, onions, garlic, and chili powder).
Great question! You should at least but all the cans of tomatoes and beans for this recipe. These make up the “body” of the chili. We know it seems like a lot of cans but if you can catch them on sale you’d probably spend only $5 or less which is only cents per serving.
As for all the seasonings, they are not essential but will make your chili taste great! And if you buy all the seasonings (cinnamon, cumin, oregano,paprika, brown sugar), we do have quite a lot of other recipes that use them as well!
Since you are starting to cook, we do suggest you “invest” in some of these seasonings or any of the spices we have on our spices page under the “Stuff you need” tab. We use these ingredients a lot and they last a long time.
Hope this helps and if you have any more questions feel free to ask!
Now that looks yummmy! I love chili!
Mm. I love chili. I should make some soon. It’s been too long.
You guys should try adding a few squares of dark chocolate instead of sugar.
Do you have any suggestions of what peppers to add?