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)
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Step 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.
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Step 2
Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Stir in the chopped onion, garlic and chile and cook until the onion is soft.
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Step 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.
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Step 4
Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
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Step 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.
