Mild But Rich Chili

Jenny Sanders's Note:

Sweet Hungarian paprika is the secret ingredient that makes this chili mild but bursting with rich flavour. The three kinds of beans are pretty, but you can use whatever beans you have on hand. And for all you folks that think that "real" chili doesn't have beans, I can only say that I don't want to make a historically authentic Texan dish - I just want a way to cook my healthy, high-fibre, low-fat beans, and I refuse to call them "Chili flavoured beans with ground beef." So there.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 (19 ounce) can white kidney beans
• 1 (19 ounce) can red kidney beans
• 1 (19 ounce) can black beans
• 2 (19 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1⁄3; cup tomato ketchup
• 1 large onion , chopped
• 4 stalks celery , chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
• salt

Directions:

1. Drain the beans, and put them in a large pot with the tomatoes and the ketchup.
2. Set the pot over medium-low heat.
3. Peel and chop the onion; wash and chop the celery.
4. Saute the onion and celery in the oil until softened; add them to the pot.
5. Break up the meat and brown it in the same skillet as the vegetables; when nearly done, add the spices.
6. Add the meat to the vegetables and simmer for half an hour to an hour.
7. Serve with hot buttered toast.

Reviews

[CinnamonTea]

This is so yummy! We made the recipe exactly as stated, but added a tablespoon of garlic and used smoked paprika. It was even better the next day after all the flavors had time to meld together.

Thinking cumin would really add flavor to it also!

[Chef #1467813]

Tasty recipe however the chef forgot to mention if the beans needed to be rinsed or not. I went ahead and rinsed them. I also substituted by adding red beans, great northern and pinto. I omitted celery and added a bit of salt too. Overall very good but next time will add a tad more chili powder and maybe some cumin.

[Chef #1319573]

I have never made chili before, surprisingly, preferring canned chili as a child over homemade. I did a google search for best mild chili, and this recipe came up, among others. I had all of the ingredients, minus celery (which my husband hates). I did use red kidney beans, pinto beans, and great northern beans, though. It was GREAT! My husband and 4 (sometimes very picky!) children ate it ALL and I was declared the best cook in the world by my 7-year-old son, who generally hates my "new" dishes. I give this recipe a 5, though we did modify it with no celery, different beans, added green peppers, and a dash of cumin.