There you go. The picture above is my Too Easy Chilli Recipe. Well, not quite all the ingredients, but practically. I also throw a can of the Rotel type tomatoes, 1/2 a large zucchini cut in small chunks, 1/2 yellow onion, and two stocks hopped celery. I added 1 tsp ground pepper and two heaping teaspoons of chili powder.
All of this went in my crock pot at about 10:00 in the morning on high. I turn it down to low at 12:00, and to just to Keep Warm at about 4:00. If I was leaving the house for the day, I would have just put it at low all day until. The biggest downfall was probably the higher than I'd like sodium per serving. It fed the four of us, ig bowls plus enough for a leftover lunch. DH and I topped outs with cheese and sour cream, DD2 just a bit of sour cream, and nothing on DD1's. She bought a salad over that needed to be eaten before her trip, so we had some of that, and crackers.
I know it is not chilli weather yet, but I have been in such a cooking rut the change was nice. I'll probably cook a little instant brown rice and perhaps pour the remaining chilli over and get two lunches of of it, another change of pace. Even in cold weather I tend to make chilli only about once a month. If I had used the larger can of tomatoes, used a full zucchini and onion (had half of both needing to be used and didn't want to cut into fresh ones), and if only DH and I here, I would have froze half. I usually make with hamburger too when DD1 isn't joining us, which bulks it up even more. With using the 15 ounce can rather than 28, it was a very think chili, thicker than I normally make it, but very good.
Leaving fresh vegetables out, this is an entire panty meal. I might try and freeze a couple recipes worth of zucchini and onions for when the veggies are out of season. It won't matter if they gt mushy as they'd go right in the crock. The picture I took are the second cans for future use. I've been trying to replace pantry items as I use, and have a spare of each ready to pull off easy meals. Should DH and I need to isolate, I feel we could very easily do so for 14 days and enjoy some variety of meals. If we are isolated, and feeling lousy, I want to have easy things to make and this chilli ticks that box. I'm sure you know of a lot better chilli recipes-I have them as well. I thought though in these odd times and people are planning for any degree of staying home for extended period of time, this might be a good option.
Sometimes, even if it is hot, I just want soup or something. I hate beans in chili, just hamburger, tomatoes, and chili spices. But, I would eat it with zucchini in it. If it were only you and husband to isolate, that batch could be frozen and you would have many more days of food. I have never heard of chili starter. I'm going to check that out. I use the packet of Chili-0 for chili, but the packet lasts me for four batches of chili because I prefer it not to be too hot/strong.
ReplyDeleteI feel too awful to cook lots of chicken at once, so I have been cooking one piece and we half it. Or, I find one frozen previously. Well, there is no more frozen, cooked chicken. So, in need of fast meals has pushed me to push myself and cook several packages and freeze it. We half a bscb, so a dozen breasts in the freezer makes for many meals that i can add a couple of vegetables and have a quick meals.
When I was a child, I picked the beans out, but now I just love the combination of the chili beans, which I think is a butter bean type and black beans. I'd like to make a white bean chili this fall.
DeleteI love soup of all kinds. Sadly, my husband is not a soup fan, so we have it sparingly.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad-is it the liquidity of it? Fortunately, my husband
Deleteand children loves a good hearty soup and artisan bread.
Looks good. I make something similar an easy chili, but it's also super high in sodium. I brown hamburger or ground turkey, when it's browned I add half a bag of taco seasoning (or homemade if I make my own which has less seasoning) a couple of cans of pinto beans and there you go...chili! We love it during football season topped with onions, cheese, sour cream and diced jalapeno.
ReplyDeleteThe sodium in the canned beans is a problem. I really should do like my daughter does and cook up the dry beans and freeze in the same size as a can would hold.
DeleteThis is what I like to call, "Sleep meals." The ones I can put together in my sleep with very little work. It's a good thing to have them. Sometimes it is feeling lousy, sometimes it is a parent is in the hospital.
ReplyDeleteI also have been known to throw in a can of corn.
Corn would taste really good-particularly if a fresh form th ear corn kernal.
DeleteMy recipe is very similar, minus the zucchini. (I have an aversion to zucchini, unless it's in relish or zucchini bread!) I love to use my slow cooker in the summer, because it doesn't heat up the house.
ReplyDeleteAnother pantry slow cooker recipe I make when I am at a loss, is a quick bean dip: 1 can refried beans, 1 cup salsa, 1/2 sour cream, 3 oz. cream cheese, and about 1/2 cup grated cheese, stirred in the slow cooker. I use the small slow cooker for this, and put it on low. Kids, particularly the girl, love this. I guess if you left out the cheeses, and used the vegetarian beans you could make it vegan.
That bean dip sounds really good. It would be really good rolled in a tortilla-sort of a chili cheese bean burrito. I love new ideas.
DeleteSounds good, but I always laugh at people with recipes "Just 4 ingredients" but I added 4 more, haha! Or you read a recipe online and then read the comments "it was great - I changed this and this and added this and that to it" LOL - then it's not the same recipe anymore.
ReplyDeleteYes, guilty as charged. I was only got the four items in my picture. I know what you mean-Some people just need to be the toppers.
DeleteWhat a great idea,I have a case of tomatoes and lots of cans of beans that need to be used.
ReplyDeleteIf you had a massive crock pot, you could do your missionariy meals and be done with a couple. I would love to make this with home canned tomatoes, peppers, and from dried beans.
DeleteLooks good and easy. I use low sodium beans and tomatoes, really helps to cut the salt. But they do cost more, which frustrates me since really I want less ingredients! Economy of scale, I guess.
ReplyDeleteGardeners and canners sure could do a great version itho low sodium.
DeleteI have a similar chili recipe, but without the salty processed canned goods. Mine is onion, garlic, a bunch of spices (lots of chili powder!), ground meat (I use sausages, ground chicken, ground turkey and ground beef, whatever's in my freezer or is on sale), and I use 3 different kinds of canned beans (well-rinsed). I pile in the veggies: bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, celery, green onion (whatever is getting soft!). It's so yummy - it's an old Weight Watchers recipe (I used to work for them). It feels good to have those emergency back-up meals ready to go. My recipe always makes about 5 meals' worth.
ReplyDeleteYour's is my preferred way to make chilli a s opposed to open and dump cans. The year my brother-in-laws garden was awash with tomatoes and I canned about 10 quart jars, we had the freshest tasting chili in the middle of winter.
DeleteOh yeah, and tomatoes! D'oh! I do a big can of crushed tomatoes (you can get low-salt version), plus a can of fire-roasted tomatoes which adds some nice char-grill flavour.
ReplyDeleteThis chilli is a once in a while verion-way too much sodium. If only I had ht green thumb.
DeleteI haven't made chili sin carne in ages! I always have tinned tomatoes and all manner of beans in my cupboard. I usually add grated carrot as well as any veg that needs using up. xx
ReplyDeleteOoh, some grated carrot would be really nice for upping the vitamins. This truly was a tin can recipe, but if I was making "real chilli" I'd have a lot of fresh pepper n it as well.
ReplyDelete