Although my family with just my husband and I and our cat and dog is by no means large, I still love large family recipes. Growing up, I got used to my own mother making large batches of food that she either served as leftovers the next day or that she froze for future meals. As a woman who works outside of the home by choice, I also love working mom recipes. Chili is one of those large family recipes that also fulfills the role of a working mom recipe. My favorite recipe for chili is easily frozen and tastes just as good reheated as when first made. Just ask my husband! I made chili for him when we started dating, and he had plenty of extra for the next couple of months.
Ingredients
- 1 15.5 ounce can of chili beans
- 1 15.5 ounce can of red beans
- 1 15.5 ounce can of light red kidney beans
- 1 15.5 ounce can of dark red kidney beans
- 2 14.5 ounce cans of tomatoes
- 1 pound of lean ground beef
- 1 medium white onion
- chili powder
- cheddar cheese
- Fritos original corn chips
Directions
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet until brown.
- Drain the fat from the cooked ground beef.
- Place the cooked ground beef in a large soup pot.
- Peel and slice the onion.
- Puree the sliced onion and canned tomatoes in a blender.
- Pour the puree into the soup pot.
- Open and drain the beans.
- Add the beans to the soup pot.
- Add chili powder to taste.
- Cook the chili over low to medium heat until hot and bubbly.
- Serve hot with grated cheddar cheese and Fritos original corn chips.
- Refrigerate or freeze any uneaten chili. To serve the frozen leftover chili, simply allow the frozen chili to thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat on the stove in a soup pan.
In addition to freezing and thawing well, making my recipe one of my favorite large family recipes, I also love that chili is so high in protein. (Both beef and beans are high in protein.) Because adequate protein intake is so important for a developing baby, my chili is also a great recipe for during pregnancy. I also particularly love eating chili during the cold winter months. Nothing is better than spooning up a piping hot bowl of chili while sitting in front of a warm fire on a snowy winter day. Bon appétit!
Image Credits
Beef Chili Recipe © 2012 Heather Johnson
Beef Chili © 2012 Heather Johnson
