Italian Chili
This Italian Chili is sure to warm you up on a cold winter night!
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I’m a Southern boy through and through. I say “y’all” when referring to a group of people, and I call all forms of soda “Coke.” So what in the heck am I doing in upstate New York where I haven’t seen green grass in weeks due to snow?
Speaking of snow, I was amused when I first moved up here a couple of years ago. Snow in the South is a somewhat rare occurrence, and it is almost always accompanied by a day off of work/school/etc. Snow in the North? Not so much. Granted, they have the proper equipment to deal with snow up here…but still, snow is not as much fun as it once was. (Although I got a new snow blower for Christmas…and it’s WAY more fun than I ever though it could be. I can’t wait to start a snowball fight with my neighbor…and by snowball fight, I mean aiming that sucker right at his front door.)
All this talk of cold weather and snow makes me crave one thing…delicious comfort food. From Meatball Lasagna to Classic Pot Roast and now chili, I think I’ve eaten more comfort food this past winter than ever before. The latest was this tasty batch of Italian Chili…and it was the perfect cure for the winter blues. At least for a couple of nights!
Everyone seems to have their own secret family recipe for chili. I would guess that there are no less than thousands of different versions of chili floating around the internet at any given time. Well, since my wife comes from a large Italian family, it should come as no surprise that her chili recipe includes a hefty bit of Italian influence!
I was a bit skeptical the first time I saw her make chili…after all, who puts a jar of marinara sauce into their chili!? I’ll freely admit when I’m wrong though. And I was wrong about her chili. This Italian Chili has definitely earned a spot on our list of best comfort foods for a chilly night!
Italian Chili
Ingredients
- 16 oz. ground beef
- 2 medium onions diced
- 2 bell peppers diced
- 4 cans of beans drained and rinsed (I like to use a mix of kidney and black beans)
- 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes not drained
- 1 24 oz jar of marinara sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp salt
- Tabasco hot sauce for garnish
- Shredded cheddar cheese for garnish
- Sour cream for garnish
- Green onions chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until browned. Drain off any excess fat and move the cooked beef to one side of the pot.
- Add the diced onions and peppers and cook until onions begin to turn soft and translucent (about 8-10 minutes).
- Add the drained and rinsed beans, diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, water, chili powder, and salt. Stir well, cover, and let simmer on low heat for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Garnish with hot sauce, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Serve hot.
I think that whoever invented snowblowers should be at the top of the Inventor list 🙂 However we have so much snow we are having to change where we stack it with the snowblower… Ugh! Love trying new chili recipes. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Haha…tell me about it, Laura! The snow down by my mailbox is so high that the snowblower can’t throw it up on top anymore. That’s when I know that we’ve officially had too much snow!
This looks amazing, David. Loving the Italian take on this classic. Brilliant pictures too 🙂
Thanks so much, Jess!!