Sweet and Spicy Quick Chili

I like chili, but I don’t always like the full day of cooking that most recipes require. This one can be pulled together in about 30 minutes, perfect for a cold and rainy weeknight that demands comfort food.

The sweetness comes from chili sauce, sold in the condiment aisle with the ketchup. Don’t be fooled and buy Asian chili sauce. That’s much hotter and will completely change the dynamic of the recipe. The sweet sauce counteracts the kick of the chili powder, making it kid-friendly.

It serves about 4 as a main dish, probably 8 as a side dish.

My Favorite Chili

Print recipe

Serves	4
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	30 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish, Side Dish
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot

Unlike most chili recipes that require an all-day simmer, this sweet and spicy recipe can be whipped up in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Olive or grapeseed oil
1 Onion (diced)
1.5lb Ground beef (as lean as possible)
2 cans Kidney beans (15 oz per can, drained)
1 jar Chili sauce (sold with ketchup and condiments)
.25 cup Chili powder
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Step 1
Saute the onion in the oil until golden and soft.
Step 2
Add the beef and cook until medium-rare. Don't stir the beef too much. You want to have some clumps in the finished product.
Step 3
Add the remaining ingredients and stir until blended. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the beef is cooked through.
Step 4
Serve immediately. Garnish with shredded cheese, diced onions, sour cream, jalapenos... whatever strikes your mood.

Results

The Assistant has a bias against all things with the word “chili” in them because he thinks that they’ll be too spicy. I had him help to make this, and he didn’t ask for a name until later. When I told him that it was chili, he couldn’t believe it. “But… but… it tastes good. How can this be chili?”

He agreed that this recipe was a keeper, which was exciting for me. It’s long been a favorite of mine, but I hadn’t made it for years because of my reluctance to take on a dinnertime battle with a kid. I’m thrilled that it can return to the rotation.

Tags: chili, kid-friendly, main dish, Recipe, side dish, stovetop