Mexitalian Chili, Anyone?

Originally posted on Sunday, November 7, 2006, at Wasting Away In Blogaritaville.

As if election day isn't enough to give you indigestion, here's the chili recipe I tried over the weekend. Dave asked for the recipe. So did Bon, although she had stipulations about chili aftershock.

I love trying all kinds of chili recipes, and I thought this was one of the better ones. It's not all that spicy, and it has an interesting hint of Italian flavors. I also cut the amount of beans in the original recipe by half, so it's not that gassy, either. Like most chili recipes, it will freeze well if you have leftovers. I made mine in a pot on top of the stove, but it's meant to be a slow-cooker recipe. A slow cooker is a good idea for anyone who has a history of burning chili. I won't mention any names this time, but you know who you are.


Slow-Cooker Chili
(as tweaked by Blogarita from a recipe originally appearing in Taste of Home Oct/Nov 2006)

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (16 oz. each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (14-15 oz. each) stewed tomatoes (or regular canned tomatoes), cut up, with liquid
1 can (15 oz.) pizza sauce or pasta sauce
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
4 teaspoons chili powder
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Brown the ground beef in Dutch oven, pour into a colander/strainer and rinse with water to remove excess fat. Return beef to pan or 5-qt. slow cooker.

Add all remaining ingredients. Simmer over low heat on stove for 2 hours or in slow cooker on low for 6 hours.

Makes 8-10 servings.


Back during my school days, whenever the cooks served chili, they always served sandwiches made from peanut butter with a little honey mixed into it. Spouse Guy thought that was a strange side dish for chili until he tried it Sunday. He's a believer now!