Easy Chili Verde

Hello everyone, time for another weekly recipe update from Send Me the Recipe!  As always, any comments, follows, likes, twitter followers, etc. are greatly appreciated!  This week we’re going to focus on another budget friendly and healthy recipe… an easy take on a classic Mexican dish, chili verde or green chili!

The goods.

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• Chili powder
• Ground cumin
• Cayenne pepper
• 16-oz jar of green enchilada sauce (I use La Costena and think it’s great!)
• 1/4 cup of water
• 15 ounce can of pinto or kidney beans, rinsed

The first thing we’re going to do is the chop, chop, chop!  Sometimes when you’re cooking, you may feel like a ninja (think mercenary skilled in the art of ninjitsu, not really bad ass blender) but it’s well worth it!

Peppers, onions, and garlic; oh my!

Prep work done… easy enough; time to cook!  Get a large skillet onto medium heat on the stove.  Add in your pound of lean ground beef along with your onion and pepper you just sliced and diced with your handy katana sword and/or kitchen knife.  Do not add the garlic just.

We are family; my onions and my peppers and me!

The wooden spoon you see off to the side there is very important.  There is not a handier nor dandier device created for the crumbling of cooking meats.  Whether it’s spaghetti, chili, or whatever in which you want crumbled meat… the wooden spoon is the way to go!  More experienced kitchen ninjas may use nunchucks, but most of us will opt for the more traditional kitchen utensils.

The desired result.

After about 8-10 minutes your onion and pepper should have softened a bit and your meat should be browned.  Now it’s time to add the garlic along with chili powder (about a tablespoon), the cumin (a couple of teaspoons), and the cayenne.  Cayenne pepper is where you’re going to get most of the heat in this dish beyond the green enchilada sauce.  The rule with cayenne (unlike a dollar these days) is that a little goes a long way… give everything a stir for about 15 seconds and then add in a full jar of the green sauce and the water.

Simmering the night away!

Bring this all to a simmer, reduce to medium-low, cover and cook.  You’ll want to give a good stir every few minutes for about 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are fork tender.  The final step is to stir the beans in and cook until they are heated through which should be no more than a couple of minutes.

You’re left with 4 servings of a low fat high fiber and high protein dish (sodium is also a bit high… being fair) which comes in at about 561 calories per serving.

The finished product!

Once again, thank you for taking the time to read through this.  I hope you enjoy the recipe; be sure to comment below and let us know your thoughts and definitely come back and comment if you decide to give this recipe a try!

Until next time… happy cooking and enjoy eating!