It is true, this chili has actually won the prize for best chili recipe before. True, it was at a church chili cook-off, but hey – it won first prize, and it continues to serve us well as a faithful stand-by.

You can make this recipe mild or spicy, adjusting the heat as you like with more or less cayenne pepper. As pictured here, you can also serve it over pasta with cheese and sour cream, an easy way to make it little fancier and a little more filling for a crowd.

We hope you’ll enjoy this recipe!

Award-Winning Chili
Serves 12+ people.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. basil
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. black pepper
4 cans assorted beans, drained (I like to use 2 cans of kidney beans, 1 can of black beans, and 1 can of chick peas)
1 15-oz can tomato paste
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 48-oz can tin tomato juice
Handful brown sugar
1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 c. beef broth
1/2 tsp cayenne, or to taste

Directions:
(1) In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, fry the onions and garlic in a bit of oil until fragrant and a little brown. Crumble in the ground beef and fry till brown; remove from heat, and drain the fat.

(2) In a small bowl, measure out the chili powder, cumin, basil, salt, and pepper. Add the spices to the meat mixture, and return to heat to sear the spices in a little bit. Add the beans, tomato products, and brown sugar. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and beef broth.

(3) Allow the chili to heat through and then simmer at least 30 minutes before serving. Add cayenne to taste before serving.

(4) Serve over pasta with shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired.

Also pictured here would be some good homemade whole wheat bread, served on the side. You can find a recipe for that by going to Naomi‘s blog, Here. In that post she has made an easy french loaf, but this is the same recipe, just using 2 c. whole wheat flour in place of some of the white, and it’s been baked in a bread pan instead of on flat cookie sheets. If you prefer to bake it in bread tins, bake it at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, or until it’s nicely browned and sounds hollow when you tap it.

Happy cooking!

Suzanne