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A Working Woman's Chili

A Working Woman's Chili

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Submitted by jnutter14

Quick weeknight chili with ground round, kidney beans, chipotle in adobo, black olives, and a splash of oregano vinegar. Hearty 60-minute one-pot dinner.

YIELD

8 servings

PREP

20 min

COOK

40 min

READY

60 min

An hour-from-start-to-bowl chili with two clever flavor moves that lift it above the usual ground-beef-and-beans rotation: chopped black olives for briny depth and a homemade oregano vinegar (fresh oregano steeped in white vinegar for at least ten days) for a bright herbal acid hit. Both are easy to overlook on the ingredient list and both are what make this chili memorable.

The heat comes from a chipotle chili in adobo plus a tablespoon of its sauce, scooped from the can. This is way better than dry chili powder alone for adding smoke and depth in a fast-cook chili. Adobo-soaked chipotles give you the long-simmered flavor of a smoked chili in a 40-minute cook.

The oregano vinegar is the real signature. If you don’t have ten days to make it, fresh oregano stirred into the pot at the end with a splash of white vinegar gets you most of the way there. Either way, the herb-and-acid combo is the secret.

Pro Tips

  • Drain the ground round thoroughly; lean meat doesn’t release much fat but every bit matters in a fast chili.
  • Saute the vegetables in stages so each cooks properly; dump them all in at once and they steam.
  • Adjust water at the end to your preferred thickness; too thin can be reduced, too thick can be loosened.
  • Keep a jar of oregano vinegar going in the fridge year-round for quick chili nights.

Variations

Ingredients

1
X X OLIVE OIL *
1 453.6
POUND G BEEF
ground, round
1 237
CUP ML GREEN BELL PEPPER
diced
½ 118
CUP ML CELERY
diced
1 1
MEDIUM MEDIUM ONION
chopped
1 1
LARGE LARGE GARLIC CLOVE
minced *
½ 118
CUP ML BLACK OLIVES
chopped *
1 1
CAN CAN RED KIDNEY BEANS *
1 1
CAN CAN TOMATOES
stewed *
2 30
TABLESPOONS ML BROWN SUGAR
1 15
TABLESPOON ML CHILI POWDER
1 15
TABLESPOON ML CUMIN
1 1
EACH EACH HOT CHILI PEPPER *
2 30
TABLESPOONS ML VINEGAR
oregano
1 237
CUP ML WATER

Directions

Sauté ground round in a little olive oil, drain, set aside. Sauté bell peppers, diced celery, onion, garlic until tender.

Add remaining ingredients, except the cup of water.

Let simmer for approximately 15 minutes, add water and (Can adjust amount of water to whatever consistency preferred.

NOTE: The oregano vinegar is made by steeping fresh oregano in white vinegar for at least 10 days, longer is better.

NOTE: Chili Pepper; From a can of Chiles Chipotles Adobados plus 1 tablespoon sauce.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 134g (4.7 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 426 46% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 22g 33%
Saturated Fat 8g 42%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 98mg 33%
Sodium 296mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 7%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars g
Protein 69g
Vitamin A 13% Vitamin C 57%
Calcium 7% Iron 30%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Trans-fat Free
 

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