Beef Chili

Beef Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
½ cup chopped bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-oz) can kidney beans, well rinsed
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
2 Tb. brown sugar
½ Tb. chili powder (depending on taste)
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. black pepper
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced (optional)

Brown the beef and sauté the onion. Either add the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or put all the ingredients in a greased slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours or so.

Tiffany's Notes: This is a simple recipe--and great for a busy day.  But, to make it even faster here's a tip for quick meal prep: buy ground beef in bulk, cook it all up at once, divide it into smaller portions, put it in small plastic bags, and freeze until needed.  Since I had a small bag of pre-cooked ground beef I just pulled it out of the freezer, added all the ingredients into the Crock Pot, and turned it on.  Then, when it was time for dinner--dinner was ready!

We don't do "spicy" very well around here so I kept the heat of this chili to a minimum (I doubled the tomatoes and sugar but didn't double the spices).  That made it a bit too mild!   I wished I had added more seasoning!  So, unless you want a sweet, fairly mild soup I suggest you follow the recipe as-is.