Chili has often gotten mixed reviews in my house, mainly due to the presence of too many kidney beans which were not a favourite. When making this recipe for chili I decided to try a can of mixed beans instead of just all kidney beans (which I don’t mind, by the way!!). Different brands will give you different mixtures of beans but usually include some kidney beans, garbanzo beans (chick peas) and pinto or white beans. I reduced the amount of beans, adding only 1 can not 2. I also added a chopped red pepper for even more flavour and colour. Adding some tomato sauce gives this chili a really nice sauce. This recipe would easily be made vegetarian omitting the meat and adding more beans.
A warning: the last time I made this chili I decided to switch up the heat by adding a chopped chipotle pepper. I tasted the uncooked chili after adding it then decided that two chipotles would be fine. Whoa! The chili was almost too hot to eat and would definitely be too hot for most children and some adults. So go easy on the chipotles! If you do open a can of chipotles in adobo for this recipe, you can freeze the leftover chipotles individually on plastic wrap then roll them up to keep them separate and put in a freezer bag. They chop easily even when frozen.
Easy to put together, this is a nutritious meal in a bowl. Leftovers reheat well and could be wrapped in tortillas for tacos or burritos to create a new meal.