Beef Chili

Beef Chili recipe
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Alice Henneman, MS, RDN, Extension Educator

This recipe is full of flavor and nutrition! It is an excellent source of fiber, protein, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, selenium and zinc. An added bonus: It’s so easy to make. Using black beans provides variation of the usual chili recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef (93% lean or leaner)
  • 1 can (15-1/2 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (14 to 14-1/2-ounce) reduced-sodium or regular beef broth
  • 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder (Alice’s Tip: Start with 1 tablespoon chili powder and gradually add more to taste — some chili powders are much hotter than others!)
  • Shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, minced green onion (optional)
Directions
  1. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add ground beef; cook 8-10 minutes, breaking into 3/4-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally. Pour off drippings.
  2. Stir in beans, broth, tomatoes and chili powder; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes to develop flavors, stirring occasionally. Garnish with toppings, as desired.

Test Kitchen Tips

Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°
F. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.

Alice's Notes:

  1. Some stores offer a “no-salt-added” version of black beans if you’re trying to cut back further on your sodium intake. Rinsing regular salted canned, cooked dry beans removes about 30% of the sodium. You also may be able to find a larger, boxed version of beef broth lower in sodium than a canned form; 14 ounces of broth is equal to 2 cups of broth minus 2 tablespoons.
  2. If you can’t find diced tomatoes with green chilies, plain diced tomatoes may be substituted.
  3. Transfer any leftover chili to shallow containers to speed cooling; keep perishable foods (such as this soup) at room temperature no longer than a TOTAL of 2 hours. You can place loosely-covered foods in the refrigerator while still warm; cover when the food is completely cooled. Plan to eat leftovers within 3-4 days or freeze for longer storage.

Recipe/information courtesy of The Beef Checkoff www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com
Photo by Alice Henneman