Chili with Quinoa
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The weather is cooling down and the days are getting darker. This is usually my cue to start making soups, stews, and hot foods for dinner. One of my favorite cold weather meals is chili. I have at least 10 different varieties of chili recipes on my blog that I like to rotate throughout the winter. However, I say there is always room for one more!
While I enjoy white chili and chili with turkey or chicken classic beef chili is my favorite. I usually serve it with a salad and bread or with a side of rice. I wanted to make a heartier chili so that I wouldn’t have to make a side dish with it. That’s where the quinoa comes in.
I figured instead of adding rice to the chili I could just add quinoa. I had a bag of it in the cupboard just begging to be used. I made my chili the way I normally do and then the last 20 minutes of cooking I added in the quinoa.
This made for a nice, thick chili. When I tasted it I really liked the addition of the quinoa. Not only did it thicken up the chili, it added a texture that I liked. I still served the chili with bread but I didn’t need a salad or side dish because it was more than filling. My husband wasn’t thrilled with the quinoa in the chili but he ate two bowls of it so he must have liked it enough.
The next day at work I enjoyed a bowl of chili while my husband made the chili into chili dogs. The following day I poured mine over top of tortillas for a tasty, meat-filled nacho dish. I really like that this makes a huge pot that has plenty of leftovers. It would also be a good chili to serve on game day.
Chili with Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cans 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 c. beef broth
- 3 c. water
- 1 c. quinoa
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven heat the beef over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until it has browned.
- Add in the black beans, kidney beans, bell pepper, onion, and garlic cloves. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add in the chili powder, cumin, and black pepper. Stir into the mixture and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the beef broth and water and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the quinoa and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve hot.
Notes
