The first cold day in Arizona has finally arrived and that can only mean one thing…it’s time for CHILI BEANS! When I lived in Colorado I would always make chili beans for the first snow of the season. It reminds me of my mom and my Grama since this is something they would make when the weather changed and the cold descended. I stumbled across the spice mixture for this recipe several years ago when I was trying to look for a chili recipe. I came across Emeril’s 5 bean chili but didn’t have the time or all the ingredients to make his creation so I stuck to the spice mixture and used what I had on hand. I’ve tweaked it throughout the years to make it what it is today. Most recently I stopped adding the cayenne since it’s too spicy for the kids. If I’m in the mood for some spice I’ll add it separately for Jon and myself. As for the toppings, I always top my bowl of chili with shredded cheddar cheese (I love when it melts and gets all gooey), avocado, and chopped fresh cilantro or scallions. Last night we ate it with cornbread, but I definitely prefer a warm tortilla! Either way you choose to eat it I hope you love it as much as I do. It’s warm, comforting, and exactly what’s needed on a cold and gloomy day.
Chili Beans
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground turkey you can also use ground beef or buffalo
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp corriander
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp cayenne *optional (if you want some heat)
- 2 14 oz. cans fire roasted diced tomatoes I love the muir glen brand
- 1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup tomato juice or V8 I typically use 1 10 oz or 2 small 5 oz cans of spicy V8
- 24 oz. beer of your choice I usually use what's on hand such as a lager
Instructions
- Chop yellow onions, red and green bell peppers into a quarter inch dice.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Add ground turkey to the pot. Using a wooden spoon break the turkey into small pieces and cook until browned 4-6 minutes.
- Add onion, red and green bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt, corriander, and cinnamon.
- Mix well and continue cooking for an additional 4-6 minutes until the onions and bell peppers get soft.
- Add tomatoes, tomato juice, beer, and bay leafs to the pot. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove lid and add beans. Cover and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and top with shredded cheese, avocado, and cilantro, or toppings of your choice!
- ENJOY!!
the seasoning of this was really amazing!!! 💕💕💕
Kristen referred me and she wasn’t wrong! We took this camping. 🙂
Yay, I’m so happy you liked it! Kristen keeps reminding me of it and we took it camping over the summer too!