We have had unseasonably warm and dry weather this fall. This past weekend, however, the temperatures dropped, and we are now “enjoying” more fall-like weather. Enjoying is a relative term to me since I much prefer summer to winter and fall means that winter is right around the corner. My Irish-twin sister lives in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area, and they had 8 inches of snow this past weekend! Yikes.
One of the nice things about cooler temperatures is that it’s chili weather. Over the years, I have adapted a recipe for Chili Con Carne out of one of my older cookbooks (circa 1968). I call it Three Bean Chili Con Carne, and we use it to make Chili Mac.
I use three different kinds of beans because I love black beans, and I love the different colors in the chili.
Brown the meat with the onions in a large stockpot. The original recipe calls for green peppers, too, but my family hates green things in their food so I have always omitted them.
While the meat and onions are doing their thing, drain and rinse the beans. Aren’t they pretty?
Drain the meat after it is browned and before adding the rest of the ingredients. Older recipes never include the draining the meat part.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Let this simmer for an hour or so.
What could be easier?
Three Bean Chili Con Carne Serves 8 2 pounds lean ground beef In a large stockpot, brown ground beef with onions. Drain excess grease. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove bay leaves prior to serving.
2 cups onion, chopped
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 15 or 16 ounce can of light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 or 16 ounce can of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 or 16 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 tsp salt
3 to 4 tsp chili powder
2 bay leaves
Now we can’t let well enough alone. We don’t eat the Chili Con Carne plain. What would be the fun in that? We use it to make Chili Mac.
We served Chili Mac to a bunch of Texans when we lived there. They were very confused. But they ate it all up.
Chili Mac ingredients – this is what we had on hand, but you can add onions, green peppers, ketchup (yes, some people like ketchup on their chili mac). Whatever your heart desires can go on top of Chili Mac.
But you must start with a bowl of cooked pasta. We prefer elbow macaroni, but our friend, Pam, uses spaghetti noodles (she breaks the noodles into small pieces before cooking them).
Then you add the Chili Con Carne and your toppings of choice. Dig in! It’s yummy!
Chili Mac Serves about 8 1 one pound box of elbow macaroni Prepare macaroni according to package directions. Place cooked macaroni in the bottom of your bowl. Add chili con carne. Top with cheese and sour cream and other toppings of choice.
Sour cream
Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Scallions or onions, diced
Any other toppings of choice
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