The secret is the cocoa, really! This spunky, chunky, spicy chili is a cool starter when topped with cold soy sour cream and fresh avocado slices. Adjust the heat to your liking by tweaking the ancho chile powder, cayenne and paprika.
Sweet Spicy Chili
Servings
8 Servings
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup ancho chile powder
- 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper depending on desired heat
- 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green red, orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 cups water
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans
- Guacamole or sliced avocado for serving
- Soy sour cream for serving
- Multi-color tortilla chips for serving
- Fresh torn cilantro leaves optional
Instructions
- 1 Combine ancho chile, cayenne, paprika, cumin, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix to combine and set aside. 2 Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground beef and garlic. Cook and stir until meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large chunks, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the spice mixture. Cook and stir until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. 3 Stir in the bell peppers, tomato puree and water. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook about 1 hour. Stir in the beans, and continue to simmer, uncovered, 20 to 30 minutes more. Adjust seasoning to desired taste. 4 Serve hot with dollops of chilled guacamole and soy sour cream and a handful of chips. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves if desired.
OMG really?!?!? This is the coolest thing ever. What did she win?
I shared this recipe with my son who shared it with a co-worker. She entered a Chili cookoff and won with this recipe!!!!
total awesomeness – thanks for sharing all your tweaks!!!
Mmmm, this was yummy! The spice combo was awesome! I used ground turkey and you couldn’t tell. I also used beans I cooked from dry rather than using canned — I cooked them separately and then added them at the same point in the recipe that it calls for adding the beans, since I was afraid if I tried to cook them in the chili the whole time, the acid from the tomatoes might prevent them from fully cooking. I subbed 4 tsp garlic powder for the fresh cloves. I also added a small can of tomato paste to thicken it up since I added maybe a bit too much water. I made some parve corn muffins to serve alongside, and this was a hit!
Thanks Tzirl for the feedback. In general there are always adjustments needed for slow cooking and the need for less liquid is one of them – you could prob have gotten away with 1/2 the water.
YAY! Love that psyche out, I do it all the time.
great thanks for your notes!
Glad I had company for dinner so was able to really test the recipe. Most enjoyed it. I did cook it in a slow cooker, so I think that made it a little watery. (I would suggest guidelines for slow cooker cooking)
Some didn’t like the combination of flavors.
Overall it’s an easy recipe to prepare. I liked it and would recommend it.
Easy recipe. like the combination of flavors. My chocolate lovers really enjoyed, and didn’t even realize the we’re eating turkey not beef.
Made the chili with to minor changes one was that I used chopped chicken instead of beef and the other is that I added some ditalini pasta because was alittle to much sauce so it thickened it up and gave it more body at the same time. Flavors were great.