Grandma's Homemade Chili
Grandma's Homemade Chili is the ultimate comfort food! She had a way with her recipes that brought everyone to the table and left them happy and satisfied. She even converted a die-hard chili hater with this recipe!
Grandma's Homemade Chili is the ultimate comfort food! She had a way with her recipes that brought everyone to the table and left them happy and satisfied. She even converted a die-hard chili hater with this recipe!
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 51.4071352666667 mg
- Fat 11.33980925 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 14.0538035971667 g
- Saturated Fat 4.43462140403333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (77g)
- Sodium 62.8144940333333 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 1.62310469731667 g
- Calories 163 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook and stir ground beef, chopped onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium heat until crumbly and browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain.
- Stir drained ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, and chili seasoning together in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are slightly tender and chili is heated through. (15 to 20 minutes)
- Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Unlike a Texas con carne that strictly excludes beans and tomatoes, this bean-and-tomato formulation relies on the structural contrast between firm legumes and a meaty base. Swapping the ground beef for ground turkey requires monitoring the fat content; because lean poultry lacks the rendered lipids necessary to carry fat-soluble aromatics like garlic and onion, adding a tablespoon of neutral oil to the skillet prevents sticking during the initial five to ten minute browning phase. When substituting canned kidney beans with dried ones, soak them overnight and boil separately until fully tender before adding them to the pot, as the acid in undrained canned tomatoes will prevent raw starches from softening properly during the fifteen to twenty minute simmer. The interaction between the capsaicin in the chili seasoning and the casein in optional cheese toppings creates a chemical binding that neutralizes heat on the palate, while the natural glutamates in the stewed tomatoes undergo a Maillard reaction alongside the browned proteins to amplify savory depth. Maintain a gentle simmer at roughly 200 degrees Fahrenheit rather than a rolling boil to prevent the tomato sugars from scorching against the bottom of the vessel.
