Lone Star Chili

In the fall, I crave soups, and chili is my favorite food in the soup genre. I have been making this recipe for years, tweaking it until I got the measurements just right. I honestly could eat it three times a week, and life would be grand. This chili is guaranteed to make your tummy happy! Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb. hamburger meat
2 cans of chili ready tomatoes
1 can of chili beans
2 tbsp.. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Chipotle chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp.. minced garlic
3/4 cup of water
1 tbsp.. corn starch

First, in a large pan, brown the hamburger meat on high and drain most of the fat away.

Turn the eye down to medium-high. Add the 2 cans of tomatoes. Drain the juice from the can of beans and add them to the pan.

Add the chili powder, cumin, Chipotle chili powder (Note: This is not essential. It still tastes wonderful without it, so if you can’t find this, no worries. It just adds a nice little something-something to the flavor profile.), oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic.

Just look at those glorious spices!

After mixing all of these ingredients together, fill a measuring cup with 3/4 cup of water and add 1 tablespoon of corn starch. Immediately mix the corn starch and water together with a fork. This creates a slurry that will thicken the chili just enough. Pour the slurry into the pan with the other ingredients.

Cook until it just starts to boil. You now have a choice depending on how hungry you are. You can simmer the chili for about 20 minutes and eat it right away. Or you may choose to transfer the chili into a crock pot. Cook it on high for 4 hours or low and slow for longer. I put mine in the crock pot for 4 hours this time.

When you are ready to serve it up, just add your favorite toppings. I like mine pretty simple with cheese and Fritos Scoops. You can add sour cream, green onions, purple onions, fresh tomatoes….whatever you like. It is scrum-diddly-umptious good!!!