Best Chili Recipe EVER!

Yes, this is THE best chili recipe EVER! I’m very humble. I know.

It’s taken me a few years to perfect this. In the beginning, I relied on tomato juice for a lot of the flavor. It’s an easy filler and is a cheap addition…it’s also full of a bunch of junk we don’t need.

This is how much sodium is in one 64 oz bottle of Campbell’s Tomato Juice. I was using three per batch of chili. Ingesting too much sodium increases your risk of stroke, heart failure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and kidney disease, so getting rid of the tomato juice was necessary.

No two batches of chili are ever the same, but they all have the same base, and can be made during any season. 

Onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms are the staples, and I change up the spicier peppers depending on what’s on sale. Serrano, anaheim, poblano, and jalapeño are all excellent choices if they’re available!

My usual recipe plug-in is on the fritz, so here’s a less pretty, but still delicious recipe to follow!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground sirloin
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 anaheim peppers, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
4 cans beans (dealer’s choice, but use mainly kidney beans)
1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1/3 can tomato sauce
1 cup red wine
12 ounces of vegetable broth
1 tsp olive oil
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs Seasonal All
3 Tbs cumin
2 Tbs oregano
2 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp coconut sugar
1/2 Tbs cayenne

Directions:

1. Brown ground sirloin with 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbs Season All, 1 Tbs cumin, and 1 Tbs oregano.
2. Drain and set aside.
3. Using the same pan, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat.
4. Add chopped bell peppers, onions, jalapeños, and anaheim peppers.
5. Season with remaining Worcestershire sauce, Seasonal All, 1 Tbs cumin, and 1 Tbs chili powder.
6. Saute until onion is soft and fragrant.
7. While vegetables are cooking, add beans, diced tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, and ground sirloin to a large pot.
8. Add tomato sauce, red wine, vegetable broth, and remaining seasoning to pot.
9. When vegetables are done, add to the pot and bring to a boil.
10. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Special Notes:

If chili is too thick, add more water 1/3 cup at a time.

I like to simmer my chili for 2 hours, but if you’re in a time crunch, 30 minutes is long enough to allow the spices to meld with the ingredients.