Weeknight Chili With Homemade Chili Paste
Updated Nov 1st 2022
This homemade from scratch stove top chili recipe is packed with protein and fiber but more importantly flavour thanks to a not so secret ingredient. That secret ingredient is homemade chili paste and a few other interesting add ins that J. Kenji Lopez-Alt likes to add to his chili for complex flavour in a simple to make chili. It’s one of the best chili recipe I have made that is not only simple to make but also pretty quick that is why Kenji calls this chili his easy weeknight ground beef chili. A classic chili recipe could take hours of simmering or all day in a slow cooker to develop rich and delicious flavours but this recipe can be done in an hour and even faster if you have some homemade chili paste on hand.
I adapted this recipe from a recipe challenge we did with Rainy Day Bites cookbook club featuring J. Kenji López-Alt’s book The Food Lab years ago. This chili challenge really opened my eyes up to using homemade chili pastes to add even more flavour to your chili. I used a variation of dried chilis and some other basic ingredients to blend up my own paste using some guidance from Kenji and research of basic chilis to use when making chili paste. At the time I was living in Trinidad and the selection for dried chilis was slim so I used what I could get my hands on to make this tasty chili paste that is quite versatile when it comes to the the type of dry chilis you want to use and have available to you. The recipe for the chili paste make a good amount. I usually use half of it in my chili but feel free to use as much or as little as you prefer. The other half I freeze for when I’m making another batch of chili - it keeps well frozen for up to 6 months. Feel free to add it to sauces, soups and stews.
The chili itself tastes fantastic even though it’s a quick midweek one and not a chili that needs to simmer for 6 hours to develop flavours. That is most definitely because of that chili paste. This chili tastes incredible on the first visit but it tastes even more incredible the day after when the flavours have intensified. You must plan to make extra for leftovers. They make a perfect sloppy joe and work amazingly over nachos. We used our leftovers over nachos with some additional toppings and it was phenomenal.
Easy From Scratch Chili Recipe Ingredients:
- Beans - the original recipe calls for kidney beans but feel free to use pinto beans or black beans or I even like to do a mix medley. Drain and rinse beans before adding to chili - I like to use 1-2 cans of beans
- Ground Meat - I use lean ground beef but you can easily use any ground meat you like like ground chicken or ground turkey - just be sure to cook these longer as they need more time than the ground beef
- Veggies - I like to use a basic medley of carrots, celery, onion and garlic - I chop them very fine or grate them so they cook faster and they add more texture to the chili
- Broth/Stock - use whatever you prefer either chicken stock or chicken broth or beef broth for more flavour
- Spices & Seasoning - you can also add some chili flakes or cayenne pepper for some extra heat - or your favourite chili spice blend. In this chili there is cumin, oregano
- Tomato Paste & Crushed Tomatoes - I like to use both for added flavour and richness and I preferred crushed tomatoes over diced tomatoes.
- Chipotle Chilis In Adobo - use as much or as little as you prefer - these can add a good punch of heat so I recommend starting with 1 and then adding more to taste
- Extra Add ins: feel free to add even more veggies to your chili - I like to add chopped red or green bell pepper to mine at time.
- Homemade Chili Paste - this is optional but I recommend making it if you have the time as it adds so much extra flavour and smokiness to your chili. This homemade chili paste is made of dried chili pepper, garlic, tomato, onion and some dried spices. Its pureed and you can add as much as you like to you chili - any extra can be frozen for another day and used in soups stews and more chili.
- Interesting and Amazing J. Kenji Add Ins - Anchovies, Corn meal and Booze - I love the umami flavour that the anchovies add - it absolutely does not make the chili taste fishy and the corn meal adds amazing texture to the chili and the small hit of alcohol adds a nice flavour to it. Ofcourse these are all optional but recommended.
How to Make This Easy Homemade Chili Recipe:
- Prepare Chili Paste if using - this can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 6 months.
- Prep Veggies - J. Kenji recommends grating the onion, garlic and veggies - not only does this give the soup extra texture but because its a quick chili recipe the veggies cook faster or become tender faster when grated or chopped very fine.
- Saute Veggies - saute veggies with oregano and in butter or olive oil until tender
- Add Flavourings - chipotles, anchovies, chili paste, tomato paste and cumin
- Add Ground Meat - and cook until just cooked through
- Add crushed tomatoes, beans, stock and cornmeal and simmer 30 min
- Finish by stirring in the alcohol if using and serve with garnishes of choice and crusty bread or warm cornbread
How to Store & Freeze Homemade Chili:
- STORAGE: Leftover chili can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
- FREEZING: Freshly cooked chili can be frozen - first It must be room temperature then scooped into freezer safe airtight containers or ziplock bags and it can be frozen and kept in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. Reheat Frozen chili right out of the freezer into a saucepan over low heat or thaw it overnight in the freezer and reheat stove top or in the microwave.
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and grated or finely chopped ( approx 1 ½ cups)
- 1 carrot peeled and grated or finely minced
- 2 stalks of celery finley chopped or grated (I use the food processor to shred the onions, carrot and celery very finely)
- 2 large cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1-2 chipotle chili’s in adobo sauce, finely chopped
- 2 anchovy fillets mashed into a paste
- ½-1cup of chili paste (store bought or homemade - recipe below) or ¼ cup or 4 tablespoons chili powder alternatively
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 2 lbs of ground meat of choice (I usually use lean ground beef but ground turkey will work too)
- One 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- One 15 oz. can of red kidney beans drained and rinsed ( feel free to use 2 cans if you prefer your chili with more beans)
- 1 cup of chicken broth or water, plus more if needed
- 3 tablespoons of instant fine cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons of alcohol like vodka, whiskey, or brandy (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Optional Chili Garnishes
- Grated Cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Chopped red onions
- Sliced scallions or green onions
- Sliced fresh jalapeños or pickled jalapeños
- sliced or chopped avocado
- chopped fresh cilantro
- corn chips or tortilla chips
- warm tortillas
Directions
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat and add the grated onions, garlic, carrots, celery, oregano and salt and pepper and cook stirring frequently until the veggies are tender and have golden edges, approx 5-7 min.
- Add the chipotles, anchovies, chili paste and cumin and cook stirring for a minute until fragrant. Then stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute.
- Add the ground beef and cook breaking it up and stirring it until no longer pink, approx 3-5 minutes. It doesn’t need to be browned all the way because it will continue to cook through as the chili simmers.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beans and stock if using along with the cornmeal, and stir well to combine.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and let it simmer away stirring occasionally until thickened and reduced a bit and flavours have had time to develop, approx 30 minutes.
- Finish by stirring in the alcohol if using and serve with garnishes of choice and crusty bread or warm cornbread. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Homemade Chili paste
Makes approx 1½-2 cups
Ingredients
- 6 Dried/dehydrated New Mexico chili peppers (ancho chili peppers or a ocmbination of ancho and guajillo alternately)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped (red or yellow)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons honey (optional)
- Soaking water or stock for thinning if needed
Directions
- Dry roast the peppers on a hot pan over medium heat about 1-2 minutes per side. The peppers will puff slightly and the skins will begin to turn reddish
- Set them into a pot of 2 cups of boiling water and remove from heat. Let them soak covered in water for approx 30 minutes or until cool enough to handle
- Remove the stems and coarsely chop the anchos. Reserve the soaking liquid.S et the chopped anchos into a food processor.
- Heat the oil in a small pan to medium heat and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and tomato and cook another minute. Add them to the food processor. Add the vinegar, cumin, oregano and a bit of salt and pepper along with about ½ cup of the soaking liquid. Process until nice and smooth.The sauce will be thick at this point. You can add more soaking liquid to thin out and achieve your desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust with extra salt and pepper, and if you feel it needs a touch of sweetness, add the honey and process a bit more.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 6 months. (You can also freeze chili paste in ice cube trays, as you would pesto.) Add to soups, chilis, sauces etc.
Adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt and Chili Pepper Madness
