How to Make 10 minute Spicy Garlic Chili

When you want to throw together a meal in just a few minutes, this can seem like an impossible task, and many of us just resort to throwing a frozen dinner in the microwave, making a quick sandwich, or perhaps just pouring a bowl of cereal. As it happens, though, there are quite a few tasty dishes that require very little time in the kitchen, but taste just as good as anything you've spent hours to create. When it comes to quick recipes for spice lovers, you just can't beat this garlic chili that takes just ten minutes to cook.

Things You'll Need

• 1 small onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 small chile pepper, chopped (serrano or jalapeno)
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 15.5 oz. can kidney beans
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Sour cream, chopped onion, shredded cheddar or jack cheese, sliced pickled jalapenos, saltine crackers, tortilla chips, rice, noodles (optional, as desired)

Instructions

1. Peel and chop the onion and the garlic cloves. Slice open the chile and remove the ribs and seeds before mincing if you don't want all of that heat--if you really like spicy food, though, you can just go ahead and mince the chile, seeds and ribs and all.

2. Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Stir in the chopped onion, garlic and chile and cook until the onion is soft.

3. Drain and rinse the kidney beans, adding them to the skillet along with the tomato sauce and water. Stir in the chili powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne.

4. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.

5. Serve the chili hot. You may top it to taste with sour cream, chopped onions, shredded jack or cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, or any other chili toppings you enjoy. If you want to give it a little more substance, you can serve the chili over saltine crackers or tortilla chips or even ladle it over cooked rice or noodles.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a habanero (scotch bonnet) chile if you want something with a mega-kick.

• Browning the meat and chopping the onion and chile will add a few minutes of prep time, so although this chili cooks for 10 minutes, it may take 15 or 20 minutes to prepare.

• Use rubber gloves while chopping a fresh chile, especially if it is one of the hotter varieties like a serrano or habanero--and whatever you do, do NOT touch your eyes (or other sensitive parts of the body) before you have thoroughly washed all of the chile oils off your hands!