Easy Three Bean Chili!

Remember when I made Chicken Barley Chili a few weeks ago, since chili is Nick’s favorite food? Well,  that was a new recipe I was testing out. Last night, I made chili again, but this time it was my old tried and true Three Bean Chili recipe. I think I’ve actually made this recipe more times than any other recipe. It was the first thing I ever made for Nick (and his friends), before I even had any clue about his undying love for the stuff. I guess the stomach really is the way to a man’s heart.

This is another super easy chili recipe that doesn’t require any slow cooking. The most time consuming part is chopping the veggies. The original recipe doesn’t call for chicken, but I had to add it for the meatatarian. I find the easiest way to cook it is to poach and shred it, but you could bake it and cube it, or cook it however you like.

Three Bean Chili

(thanks, Rachel Ray)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 bell peppers
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup pale beer (I used our Belgian ale, it worked)
• 1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 cup refried beans
• 2 cups poached, shredded chicken (optional)

First, chop up all your veggies.

Over moderate heat, add oil to a deep pot and combine onion, peppers, and garlic. Saute for 5-8 minutes to soften vegetables.

Deglaze pan with beer, add tomatoes, black beans, red kidney beans, and stir to combine.

Into the pot!

Season chili with cumin, chili powder and hot sauce.

Stir in the refried beans to thicken. If you’re using chicken, stir that in now too.

Simmer over low heat about 10 minutes, then serve!

As always, we had the chili with Jiffy corn muffins. Can’t beat 30 cents a box!

And Nick topped his with lots of cheese. He’s happy.