Gingo Grandma’s chili! That’s me! This is my chili! You’ve probably guessed that this is NOT serious cook-off chili. This is big pot, throw-it-all-together, family friendly, low-budget chili. Chili that everyone likes. Chili with ground meat =:0 and beans =:0. A recipe that makes enough for a crowd or for three days of leftovers. A chili that reheats and freezes well. Rainy-day comfort food. Game Day staple food. Chili Dog party food. Must have camping food.
This is an easy recipe to remember, too. Think threes! Three cans of pinto beans, three cans of diced tomatoes, 3 lbs of meat, three onions. I found the original recipe in The San Jose Mercury News food section years and years and years ago. I’ve adjusted the quantities of ingredients a bit and changed the name to fit the dish…and made it mine. I hope you make it yours. too.
Gringo Grandma’s Chili
3 16 oz. cans pinto beans
3 16 oz. cans diced tomatoes
3 onions, chopped
1 -2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 lbs ground meat (2 lbs. ground beef, 1 lb. ground sausage)
1/4 cups chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 – 3 cups chicken broth (or water)
Pour canned pinto beans (with liquid) and chopped tomatoes into a large soup pot over a medium high heat. Bring to a light simmer. Meanwhile, in another pan, saute chopped onion in olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add onions and garlic to bean and tomato mixture. To the same pan, now emptied of onion, brown ground beef and sausage, about 15 minutes. Drain fat from meat. Stir drained meat into the bean-tomato-onion mixture. add in chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. If desired, stir in one to three cups of chicken broth or water until the chili meets your desired preference (some people like it thicker or soupier than others). Simmer chili for 1 1/2 hours, covered. Uncover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
Serve hot in deep bowls, in front of the TV, on a cold day… I like to serve with grated cheddar cheese and corn muffins, but sliced green onions and sour cream would also be good toppings. I think this chili is best the second day, and leftovers (or even the whole batch) freeze very, very well.
Makes approx. 16 cups, that’s one gallon of family friendly, easy to eat, chili.
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today. Now remind me to post the recipe for corn muffins, they’re stellar!