Warm, gooey goodness!
I’ve had people come up and say they loved my chili, months after eating it… they also ask what’s in it… arguments have ensued when I don’t list any meat.
BUT you can add meat, or you can pour it over chopped up ham… or rice, or cubes of CHEESE… mmmm. Who puts shredded cheese on top, it can be the surprise inside!
INGREDIENTS
- 1/3-1/2 of a bag of lentils – rinsed – you don’t have to soak them before using them, but you can
- you can use green lentils, red lentils, yellow… I generally use green
- 1 red, yellow, orange, green bell (or 3-4 med bell pepper any color) big dice or rough chop
- 2 sticks carrots julienned or shredded with your peeler
- 2-3 cloves garlic (I use 4-5) diced or smashed
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil
- 1/2 white onion small dice
- 2 large cans reduced sodium kidney beans (or three small cans)
- 1 can chick peas
- 1/2 can tomato paste
- 1 large can crushed or diced tomato (I use diced because I like chunks)
- 1/4-1/2 cup chili powder (I KID YOU NOT – you can use less if you want)
- 2-3 tablespoons of cumin (again, you can use less if you want)
- about 3-4 cups of water total depends on how much stuff you put in the pot
- salt and pepper to taste
HOW
- cook carrots and garlic in olive oil 2-3 minutes (soft, not burnt)
- You can strain and rinse your kidney beans while this is going on
- add in onion and cook a bit more – add a bit of water if you’re thinking it might burn
- add in all the bell and enough water to completely cover them
- stir, stir, stir… bring to a boil
- add in kidney beans – add more water to cover all of it (if it isn’t)
- add in your rinsed lentils – add another cup of water
- add in your canned tomato (and juice) plus your tomato paste
- stir, stir, stir – lower to simmer
- add in the chili power and cumin now
- cook about 40 minutes – check it half way and see if you need to add any water… no burning the chili – stir it too… but this is chili, not soup… so you should not have to add much water.
- add in the rinsed garbanzo beans (chick peas)
- SERVE!
Yup. I call this my FIVE CAN CHILI – one, because who wants to know it is lentils? Two – I put five cans of stuff on the counter when I’m fixing to get ready.
SHARE YOUR OWN chili recipe below! REPLIES are welcome.
