My toddler (nicknamed snoop) loves to eat and now help me cook! He seems to prefer vegetarian meals (e.g., black bean soup, macaroni and cheese, chana masala) so I was happy that he enjoyed this Good Cheap Eats chili with ground beef. I figured that he enjoyed the flavors, so I used the recipe as a base to make a vegetarian version with hominy instead of beef. I also changed some of the spices and swapped black beans for kidney beans. Snoop liked helping me cook by dumping the canned ingredients and pre-measured spices into the slow cooker, then pushing the button to start the slow cooker.
Ingredients
½ onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
Veggies like carrot or green pepper, chopped (optional)
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped and seeded (optional)
two 29-ounce cans pinto beans, drained
one 30-ounce can kidney beans, drained
one 30-ounce can hominy, drained
1 cup tomato sauce
14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes (fire-roasted or with green chilies)
1 cup water
3 tablespoons Penzeys Chili 3000 seasoning
2 to 4 tablespoons masa harina (this thickens the chili and adds flavor, but it can be omitted if you prefer)
Directions
1. Cook the onion, jalapeno, and veggies (if using) in a skillet with the olive oil until the onions start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
2. Transfer the onion-garlic-jalapeno-veggie mixture to the slow cooker. Add the beans, tomatoes, hominy, water, and spices. Stir to combine.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. (I often prepared this recipe on Saturday nights and just took it out on Sunday morning after the slow cooker switched to “warm” mode).
4. Remove the lid and stir in masa harina to thicken the liquid to your desired consistency.
Chili can be chilled and frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Snoop likes it plain, but we like a variety of toppings: sour cream, chopped scallions, grated cheddar cheese, or hot sauce. I have put it over macaroni noodles to make chili mac and would like to pair it with crock pot corn bread (with this as the creamed corn, since I recently bought regular corn instead) or the non-Jiffy mix version.
