Cheater Chili

Remember back in November when I set out on a search for the perfect chili? Well, um... I haven't exactly been diligent in my searching. We haven't made chili since. Whoops.

A couple of years ago, we went to our friends' house for a Super Bowl party. They made chili for us, and it was really good. After our "meh" experience with the chili we tried in November, I remembered our friends' chili. So, the next time we saw them, I asked for the recipe. They had just had a baby, she was going back to work, etc., so weeks went by before we actually got the recipe. And once we had it in our hands, I had to laugh--it was cheater chili!

What do I mean by cheater chili? It's from a kit!

But you know... sometimes, there's really no reason to make things more difficult than they should be. Do I still want to find a good, more complex, truly "homemade" chili? Yes. With that said, there are times when "cheater chili" is more than appropriate.

We bought the ingredients for this chili several weeks ago, but something came up and we bumped it off of the menu for the week. We wanted to make it before it gets too warm out, so we decided to give it a go this weekend. Saturday was absolutely gorgeous and so NOT chili weather, but Sunday, although warm, was rainy and gloomy, and chili was a good fit.

Off of our friend's recommendation, we used the Carroll Shelby's Chili Kit. We only used about half that salt packet... it seemed like a lot of salt! And we certainly didn't miss the other half of it. For the record, I had a really hard time locating this kit in my grocery store. I ended up asking a stock person, and as it turned out, it was located with all of the gravy mixes. Go figure!

We "made it our own" by adding two cans of kidney beans, a green pepper, and an onion (in addition to the ingredients listed on the back of the box--ground beef, a small can of tomato sauce, and water). We also served it over brown rice.

Cheater Chili

(Source: Carroll Shelby)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce (we used "No Salt Added")
- 2 (8 oz.) cans filled with water
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large green pepper, diced
- 2 cans red kidney beans
- 6 cups brown rice, prepared
- shredded cheddar for topping

Directions:
1. In large skillet, combine ground beef, green peppers and onions. Cook over high heat until meat is browned and vegetables are soft.

2. Pour meat/veggie mixture into stock pot. Add tomato sauce, water, and beans. From the kit, add seasoning packet, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined. Simmer for 15 minutes.

3. For thicker chili, combine masa flour packet (included in kit) with 1/3 cup water. Pour into chili. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

4. Serve chili over rice. Top with shredded cheddar.

Could it be any easier?