Today we would like to share with you an easy chili dish. TBH this is literally the best chili we ever had!
We toasted the chili and cumin seeds and then grind them. The fresh toast spices are the best and they really enhanced the flavor.
Highly recommend you buy a cheap coffee grinder just for the spice. And you will never go back for the store pre-grind spice!
About the beans
If you are using canned beans, you may shorten the cooking time to 20 minutes.
But if you like to use dried beans like us, we highly recommend you use an instant pot to cook it to ensure all of the beans are tender and soft.
You can also use a dutch oven to cook it instead, just add 30 minutes of cook time.
Beef and Beans Chili
A hearty meal that full of fantastic flavor!
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 325kcal
Cost: $10
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup beans soak 5 hours ahead; you can choose any variety you like. We used ⅔ cup of red beans and ⅓ cup of mix beans (the goya brand one for bean soup).
Ground beef and seasoning
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Spices
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 6 dried chili peppers
Other ingredients
- ¼ onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 sprig thymes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can tomato paste 6 oz
- Chicken / beef stock
- lemon juice from half lemon
Instructions
- Cut off the end of chili peppers and remove the seeds inside. Toast the chili and 1 tbsp of cumin seeds in a skillet, until you can smell the aroma. Transfer to a spice grinder and blend them into powder. You can also use store-bought 1 tbsp of chili powder or 1/2 tsp of cumin powder instead.
- Heat up a cast iron skillet until very hot. Add 1 tbsp of oil, together with the ground beef. Try not to stir too much at the beginning. When the beef becomes brown at the bottom, add salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix well everything. * While waiting for the beef cook, you can start to prepare on the step 3.
- Start the Instant Pot with sautee mode and lid off. Add 1 tbsp of oil and sautee with onion until translucent. Add 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp of oregano, 2 sprigs of thyme, and 2 bay leaves. Sautee everything together for like 30 seconds.
- Add 1 whole can of tomato paste and mix everything well. Add the beef and beans into the pot. Add beef stock to cover everything inside the pot. Switch to the "soup mode", cover with the lid and cook for 30 minutes. You can also cook it in a dutch oven, add 30 minutes of cook time instead.
- Before serving, add about 1 tbsp of salt or to taste, add lemon juice from half of the lemon. Stir everything well, enjoy!
Notes
- A great article about when you should salt the beans: https://www.seriouseats.com/salt-beans-cooking-soaking-water-good-or-bad
Nutrition
Calories: 325kcal
