Smoky Chipotle Chili
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Whenever the weather starts getting colder I begin looking at soup recipes. I really enjoy a hot bowl of soup on a cold day and I generally make a large pot once a week. We eat it for dinner one night and then have it for lunch the next couple of days.
One of my favorite soups to make is chili. Chili is a great soup because it’s hearty, you can add a lot of different meats and vegetables to it, and there are so many different variations.
I’ve made a lot of different chili dishes from Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili (which has been published in a cookbook)to Chili and Rice Casserole (always in my top 5 recipes) to Chili con Tres Carne. I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting recipes.
I found a recipe for a Smoky Chipotle chili which used chipotle chilies, poblano chilies, ground beef, and fresh tomatoes. Since I had been getting so many tomatoes from my CSA I thought this was a good way to use them. I don’t often use fresh tomatoes in chili but I think I will be from now on. I find that the fresh tomatoes cause less heartburn then canned tomatoes. I’m not sure why that is but I felt pretty good after eating this chili.
This was an easy recipe to make as it takes about 30 minutes total of hands on time and then it just simmers over the heat. There are a lot of different flavors going on here from the smoky flavor of the chipotles to the spicy poblano chilies to the richness of the beer. The fresh tomatoes add a nice base to this soup.
We ended up enjoying our chili with a few crusty dinner rolls. I topped my chili off with a bit of shredded cheese and sour cream but that’s all it needed. It’s so hearty that it’s a meal in itself. I really liked all of the flavors in this chili and will be making it again this winter.
Smoky Chipotle Chili
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. 90% lean ground beef
- 3 c. chopped onion
- 2 c. seeded chopped poblano peppers (about 4)
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 Tablespoons cumin
- 1 Tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 12 oz bottle of beer
- 4 c. beef broth
- 2 cans chili beans
- 1/4 c. fresh oregano chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 c. fresh tomatoes cut in half
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in the beef and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned.
- Add in the onion, poblano, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and chipotle. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the tomato paste and beer, scraping to loosen any browned bits. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the beef broth, chili beans, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Add the fresh tomatoes to a food processor and process until smooth. Add the processed tomatoes and diced tomatoes to the pan and stir to combine.
- Bring the chili to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove chili from heat and serve with cheddar cheese and sour cream if desired.
Notes
