There are times when I truly enjoy spending an hour or more crafting a dish. I love to see the various layers of the creation come to fruition.
At other times, I need speed.
Those are times when I just want to throw something together with minimal fuss and sit down to the table in about 30 minutes. While this chili cooks, I make a salad, thaw out some gluten-free rolls, and we are good to go.
I use black beans, red kidney beans, and white kidney beans and keep canned varieties on hand just for “quick” meals. I also tend to cook up a pot of beans ahead of time and freeze them in 1-cup measures, but unless I have them already thawing, I simply use thoroughly rinsed canned beans for this meal.
Let’s get started. . . .
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes (do NOT drain)
- 1 15-oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 15-oz can of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 15-oz can of cannellini (white kidney) beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (I often forget this, so I make this optional)
Instructions:
1. Heat oil in a 5-quart pan and saute diced onions until transparent and soft. We like ours to be a little browned. If I have more time, then I will caramelize the onions, but, after ao,this is a QUICK meal.
2. Add tomatoes, all three beans (making sure they have been drained and thoroughly rinsed), and spices. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Once it boils, I reduce the heat to low, just keeping the chili at a simmer for approximately 30 minutes.
Serve and enjoy! Don’t forget to freeze any leftovers for an even quicker meal the next time!
