Chili, especially fast chili, is always in season, if you ask me. This recipe for Copycat Texas Roadhouse Chili is my go to when I am trying to put a filling meal on the table fast. It's a large recipe and makes quite a bit, so it's awesome for leftovers.
There are a lot of ingredients in this one, nothing too exotic, but you should take a few minutes to gather it all together before you start. If you don;t have smoked paprika, just used regular. They are both good in this recipe. I drained the beans (and kept the juices) just so I could get you guys this cool shot, but you don't have to do that. Just open your cans and set them aside, ready to go.
If you have a favorite bean, by all means, go for it. I like the color and variety so I always use a can of red kidney beans, a can of black beans and a can of cannellini beans. We also like to smoke the tomatoes, so I usually use a 28 ounce can (which is more than the recipe calls for) because the smoke will evaporate it a bit. We cold smoked on this batch, so I didn't lose any volume, but I threw it all in anyway as my plan was to boil it down longer than the recipe said too. (see - modified!)
The recipe calls for a heavy stock pot or dutch oven, and this is a good idea because it makes quite a bit of chili. You'll also want some room to give it a good stir, so keep that in mind when selecting your pot.
You begin by frying up some garlic and onion in the pot with some oil. Once they're soft, add in the stew meat, cut small, and brown until no longer pink. Once that's done, it' s as easy as dumping in all of the other ingredients (except for the flour, cheese and red onion.)
Then just let it simmer. You'd want to give it 10-15 minutes at the very least; if you can let it simmer longer, it will continue to soften the meat and beans. Once you are about to eat it, add in the flour and cook for another 10 minutes or so. The flour will help to thicken the chili and make it nice and rich.
It can be ladled into bowls and topped with shredded cheddar cheese and diced red onions.
Leftovers are awesome just by themselves, or I have also diced up the beef a little more and spooned the hot chili and cheddar cheese over hot dogs. It can also be frozen and heated up later for a quick lunch.
So, if you are looking for a quick and delicious chili, look no further than this Copycat Texas Roadhouse Chili.
If you give it a try, come back and let me know how you like it.