My Husband's Kind of Chili

My husband prefers his chili to have huge chunks of meat in it--not ground meat--cubed. So, if you or someone you love feels the same way, this chili recipe is for you!

Tex-Mex Chili Recipe

Ingredients:

3 pounds beef stew meat
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 cups salsa verde
1 envelope chili seasoning
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Shredded cheese, minced fresh cilantro, and other favorite chili toppings

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown beef in oil in batches. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a 6-qt. slow cooker.

Stir in the beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, salsa verde, and seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until meat is tender. Garnish each serving with cheese, cilantro, and other favorite chili toppings.

Yield: 12 servings (1 1/3 cups each)

Source: This has been modified from a recipe I found on Taste of Home. You can find the original recipe here.

Notes: So, let me explain the changes I made. The original recipe called for 3 (15 oz) cans of tomato sauce and a cup of water. I felt like this made the chili far too soupy and way too tomato saucey for my tastes. The recipe also only called for one can of diced tomatoes. I increased it to two cans of diced tomatoes (to keep the tomato flavor, but also to make it chunkier). It also only called for 3/4 cup of salsa verde and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin.

In order to get this chili just the way I wanted it, I used only 1 can of tomato sauce, increased the diced tomatoes, omitted the water, and in its place, I increased the salsa verde (still enough liquid, but much more flavor). I also increased the cumin because I really like cumin and felt that 1/2 teaspoon wasn't enough.

You can tailor the heat to your own tastes by choosing mild, medium, or hot chili seasoning. The first time, I made it with hot chili seasoning (without the other changes I incorporated later). The second time, I used medium. Personally, I preferred the medium. I felt like there was just the right amount of heat and I preferred the flavor when I used the medium chili seasoning.

With the changes I made, I felt like this chili turned out perfect for our tastes. In fact, I might even add an extra can of kidney beans in the future just to make it a little chunkier and help it stretch a little farther. This also made fantastic leftovers. Yummy!