OK, I know, everyone already has their favorite recipe for chili, and I actually already have several recipes on this site that I dearly love too. So, what made me go online and look for another chili recipe is anyone’s guess. And why black beans? Well, that’s easy. I was too lazy to cook kidney beans from scratch and all I had in the pantry was a lone can of black beans. So, I thought – what the heck. Go online and see how other cooks make their chili using black beans. And I stumbled on to the juliasalbum.com site. As I perused the ingredients, it looked like the perfect chili recipe to me. Of course, I added a couple of ingredients and played fast and loose with some of the spice amounts, but other than that, this fabulous and easy to prepare chili recipe is compliments of Julia.

So, what makes this chili special? Well for one thing, it contains more vegetables than you usually find in chili. (That’s a plus BTW.) And 5 cloves of garlic. That’s more garlic than you find in most chili recipes. The spices are not uncommon, but the cup of beef broth is. And beef broth is such a wonderful ingredient to bring extra richness to any dish. So, basically, this is just a good basic recipe for a fabulous bowl of chili. And in my book, there is just nothing finer. Served with a nice cornbread muffin, life is good.

As always, have fun in your kitchen. And remember, some of the best food in the world is often very simple to prepare and has been a family favorite for decades. But that doesn’t mean the dish can’t be “revised” periodically. Hope you enjoy this “revision”.

Peace and love to all.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 med. carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely diced

¼ c. chopped Hatch chili or ½ c. chopped green bell pepper

5 garlic cloves, chopped

3 T. chili powder

4 tsp. paprika

4 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 (28-oz) can whole or diced tomatoes, plus juice (Italian tomatoes, if possible) 

1 c. beef broth

1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

grated sharp cheddar cheese, garnish

thinly sliced green onions, garnish

sour cream, garnish

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy covered pan. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add the onion, carrot, Hatch chili or bell pepper, and celery; stir well and continue cooking for about 2 more minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Stir in the chili powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Add the canned tomatoes with juices and the beef broth. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Add the black beans and cook for another 20 minutes or so.

To serve, pass the grated cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, and sour cream.