![\"vegetables](\"https:\/\/www.willsfoodblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_20180913_192055657.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nOnce you get all the vegetables into the pot, put a lid on so they can sweat for about ten minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You want to get rid of most of their liquids or else you’ll end up with a watery mess instead of a hearty veggie chili.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After about ten minutes of cooking with a lid on, you’ll end up with something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Spices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It’s time to add the spices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chili is a really spice-heavy, flavorful dish. It’s not subtle or delicate. Use a lot of powerful, delicious flavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I always make my own spice mixture. If you grind your own spices, you’ll end up with a better final product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you don’t want to deal with this or don’t have space in your cabinets to build your own spice kingdom, then you can always use pre-made chili powder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After adding the spices to the pot, stir to combine and then cook with the lid off for another 5 minutes or so. It will help get the raw taste out of the spices and it will also evaporate a lot of the excess water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stir every minute or two to make sure the spices don’t stick to the bottom and burn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beans and Tomatoes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Once most of the water has evaporated, add the beans and the tomatoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure to drain and rinse the beans to get rid of that goop that lives in the cans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t drain the tomatoes though. You want that juice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don’t have to use that many different kinds of beans if you don’t want. I just like the variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also start from scratch and cook dried beans. I was prioritizing time over all else. If you cook them from scratch, it will be more flavorful. But it takes hours. I didn’t want to spend hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finishing it Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Once you’ve added the beans and tomatoes to the pot, stir it all together. Then turn the heat up and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, add a lid, and simmer for another 30 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stir it occasionally to make sure nothing sticks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re really short on time, you don’t have to do this. By this point everything is completely cooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if you skip this step, the flavors won’t fully combine and the stew will be a little underdeveloped. I think the extra 30 minutes is worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you’re done, you’ll have a nice, big batch of chili to get you through the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIt Scales<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This stuff lasts a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So if you want to make more and you have a pot big enough to handle it, you can double the recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also go with three kinds of beans and two cans of tomatoes if you want a smaller batch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leftover Options<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you don’t just want to have a bowl of chili every day, you can serve this in a few different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could serve it over rice, quinoa, or a baked potato. These are completely vegetarian-friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could serve it with a steak or another piece of animal protein. This is usually my choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could top it with cilantro and sour cream. Or you could replace the sour cream with yogurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My favorite, however, is chili fries. I found this great recipe for oven-baked french fries.<\/a> I used them to make this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They’re not quite as good as perfectly fried potatoes, but they’re really close. And they’re so, so much easier. I like to toss the potatoes in a bit of extra-virgin olive oil and salt before baking, but they’re great no matter what you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n