Chili Con Carne is one of my favorite comfort foods. This chili is a healthy version without sacrificing flavor. One day, I was inspired to substitute the pinto beans to my chili recipe with black beans and corn. We loved this version, and this became one of my most requested company pot luck recipes.
I do love Mexican food! Chili con carne (with meat) is a recipe I’ve been making for as long as I can remember. I really don’t follow a recipe. Years ago, I finally created my recipe for Chili Con Carne that anyone can follow and published it on my blog.
Having made Chili Con Carne for so many years, I thought it’d been an interesting twist to add black beans, corn and red bell pepper. My husband loved it!
When I was working at a high school, we use to have monthly potlucks that we called “Pay Day Treats”. We were paid once a month, so it was definitely a day to celebrate our hard earned jobs. I brought a slow cooker full of this Black Bean Chili. Wow! The entire pot was emptied in no time at all. I was asked for the recipe, but I didn’t have one. I made the recipe up as I went along.
I’ve been retired since March 2020 (yes, around COVID time), and I’m finally sharing how I make this. The beauty of this chili is that it’s really versatile. There’s room to increase the spiciness according to your palate.
Extra-Lean Ground Beef is how I start the recipe. Cook until no longer pink. Add chopped onion and red bell pepper, season with salt and cook until just tender. For spices, chili powder and cumin does the trick. Add fresh garlic and “bloom” the spices by cooking into the vegetables for a minute or two.
A couple tablespoons of tomato paste adds more depth of flavor. Combine and cook the tomato paste, with the vegetable and spices for another minute or two.
Add a can of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and a can of mild green chilies. Add canned black beans and corn (frozen or canned works).
Alternately, if I have a can of Ro Tel Diced Tomatoes with Chilies, that works as well. Last, about a cup of salsa adds another layer of flavor. That’s it! Super Simple. The key is to TASTE the chili for seasoning. Adjust by adding more salt (I prefer coarse salt). If you want to amp up the spice, add some cayenne. Add jalapeno, if you want fire-breathing chili. This recipe is very forgiving.
Simmer on the stove for about 45 minutes, on low heat. Likewise, pour into a slow cooker for about 2 hours. This freezes really well. In fact, I keep a quart or two in our freezer for days I’m craving comfort food that is also healthy.
Black Bean Chili
Equipment
- 1 Large Stock Pot with lid
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp chili powder adjust to your taste
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- salt to taste
- 1 15 oz. canned tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes 10 oz. /or 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can diced mild green chilis
- 1 cup salsa mild or hot (according to your preference)
- 2 15 oz. Black Beans drained/ or 2 cups fresh cooked black bleans
- 1 15 oz. corn drained; or fresh or frozen corn
- ¼ low-sodium beef broth optional; if chili is too thick
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and cook the beef until no longer pink. Push to one side of the pot.
- Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until just tender 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes more.Add the chili powder and cumin and cook until the spices turn a darker color (1-2 minutes.)Add the garlic. Combine the cooked veggies with the cooked beef.
- Add the tomato sauce, Rotel (or diced tomatoes and mild green chili), the black beans and corn. Give a good stir to combine.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to your personal preference. Adjust spices if you want more heat by adding more chili power and/or cayenne (if you like things really spicy.)
- Cover and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. NOTE: Sometimes I pour the chili into slow cooker on LOW for 1-2 hours.
- When ready to serve, add chopped cilantro (completely optional).
Notes
Nutrition
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