Weeknight Italian Style Chili Food

BEEF AND PORK ITALIAN CHILI

Steps:

• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, the beef and pork; brown and crumble. Season with the chili powder, salt and pepper. Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf and cloves and cook for 8 to 10 minutes to soften the vegetables. Add the tomato paste and stir a minute. Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes and passata or tomato sauce. Simmer to combine the flavors and thicken. Cool and store; reheat over medium heat.
• To serve, bring the chicken stock to a boil in a small saucepot, whisk in the polenta, 3 minutes. Stir in the butter, cheese, salt and pepper.
• Serve the chili with polenta alongside.

EASY ITALIAN-STYLE CHILI

Steps:

• 1. Brown meat and onion in large saucepan; drain.
• 2. Add tomato sauce, undrained tomatoes, water, pasta, beans, 1/4 cup cheese and chili powder; stir. Cover; cook on medium heat 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.
• 3. Sprinkle with remaining cheese just before serving.

ITALIAN CHILI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Meanwhile, in a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, red pepper, water, celery, broth, chili powder, Italian seasoning, sugar, garlic and salt. , Drain beef mixture; add to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. , Add the beans, mushrooms, zucchini and parsley. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

SLOW-COOKER WEEKNIGHT CHILI(COOK'S COUNTRY)

Steps:

• 1. Toast chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne, and pepper flakes in large Dutch oven over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer toasted spices to bowl. Add bacon to Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to plate lined with paper towels and pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from pot. Return pot to medium heat, add onions and bell pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• 2. Add beef, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, using wooden spoon to break up beef into 1/2-inch pieces, until just slightly pink, about 5 minutes. Drain beef and vegetables in colander.
• 3. Add tomato puree, diced tomatoes, and toasted spices to empty pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Return drained beef and vegetable mixture and bacon to pot, stir to combine, and bring to simmer. Transfer contents to slow-cooker insert.
• 4. Set slow cooker to low, cover, and cook until tender, 6 to 8 hours, stirring in beans during last hour of cooking. (Alternately, cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.) Adjust seasonings and serve. (Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months.).
• Make Ahead: If you'd prefer to just dump the chili ingredients into the slow cooker before running off to work, you can do all the work the night before. Follow the recipe through step 3, but continue to simmer the assembled chili for 10 minutes. Transfer the chili to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, simmer the chili in a Dutch oven for 10 minutes, then transfer it to your slow cooker and proceed with step 4.

ITALIAN STYLE CHILI

Steps:

• Crumble ground beef into a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, and cook, stirring, until beef is evenly browned. Drain grease, if necessary.
• Pour in the spaghetti sauce, water, sugar, tomatoes, mushrooms, pepperoni, bouillon, chili powder and kidney beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors.

SPEEDY WEEKNIGHT CHILI

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook the beef, onions and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.