Kid-friendly Chili
Servings 12 1-cup servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907 grams) ground beef
- 2 stalks (105 grams total) of celery roughly chopped
- 1 cup onion roughly chopped
- 1 cup (110 grams) shredded or grated carrots (from about medium 2 carrots)
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) green onion, chopped
- 2 cups (60 grams) baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups (354 milliliters) beef broth (½ cup in with veggies in blender, 1 cup in chili)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chili powder*
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce (like Tabasco or Frank's Hot Sauce)
- 1 29-ounce (822-gram) can tomato sauce
- 1 6-ounce (170-gram) can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce - I recommend Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ sauce
- 2 15-ounce (425-grams) cans kidney beans drained and rinsed
Instructions
Cook the ground beef:
- If you want to cook the chili on the stovetop, use a pot large enough to fit all the ingredients. If you'll be cooking in the slow cooker, you can simply use a large skillet to cook the ground beef.
- Cook the ground beef until cooked through and drain the fat.
- To a blender, add the celery, onion, carrots, green onion, spinach, garlic, and beef broth. Puree until liquid.
- In the skillet you cooked your beef in, pour the green sauce over the meat and cook on medium, stirring frequently, until the beef has absorbed the green sauce. This is how you have so many hidden vegetables in your chili! It looks a little weird to have “green meat” in the skillet, but once it is in the chili, it's not green anymore! Cook until the meat has absorbed most of the green sauce.
If using a slower cooker:
- Transfer the meat to your slow cooker, add the remaining ingredients, and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. If you cook on high, make sure to stir frequently to avoid burnt and stuck layers on the bottom and edges. I prefer to cook it slowly so that the flavors have more time to mix together and develop.
If cooking on the stovetop:
- To your pot with the ground beef, add the remaining ingredients. Simmer the chili on low for 2-3 hours on the stovetop. Stir every now and then to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
How to store:
- Cool and store any leftovers in the fridge for 5 days. Or you can freeze it in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to three months.
Notes
Important! In some countries, chili powder = ground chile. Do not use that! Chili powder is a spice blend that consists of paprika, oregano, cumin, garlic and more. You can make your own with this recipe.
If you're gluten-free or dairy-free: make sure your Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and BBQ sauce are all gluten and dairy-free. The brands and products listed in the post and recipe fit both diets.