Taco Corn Chili

I know it’s a million degrees outside, but sometimes, I just get a hankerin’ for a bowl of chili. Except sometimes I don’t want my traditional chili. I want Taco Corn Chili.

That happened this week.

And right now I’m too annoyed to see straight so you’re getting a recipe because food makes it all better. Except when it doesn’t as the case may be right now.

Anyway.

I’m giving you the recipe for the big batch so you can have leftovers for lunches/another dinner/to freeze. Feel free to halve this if you want less chili. (But who really wants less chili?)

Taco Corn Chili

You need:

2 lbs lean ground beef
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
2 cans beans, your choice*
2 packets TACO seasoning mix
2 cups frozen yellow corn
1/2 white onion
salt, pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, optional

Directions:

Dice the onion and let it cook down WHILE you brown the ground beef. Season the ground beef with pepper, but go sparingly on the salt. There will be salt in the taco seasoning mix and bean juice and you don’t want to OVERsalt. Unless you do. Want to oversalt, I mean. (Do this browning and cooking down in whatever stock pot you cook your chilis and stews in and you’ve got a one-pot meal.)

Drain. Do not rinse. (We’ve been over this, right? Don’t rinse your ground beef.)

Once the ground beef is browned (say that five times fast, wouldja?) dump in the beans, UNRINSED, and tomatoes. And seasoning packets. And corn. Still frozen. (*For the beans this time, I used one can of light red kidney beans and one can of dark red kidney beans. You can mix and match however you see fit. I’ve used black beans with kidney beans. Actual “chili” beans, which I think are just pinto beans. Actual pinto beans. Use what you have.)

Give it a few minutes and taste it. Add pepper, salt, cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes as necessary to meet your standard of heat. (You can also adjust the heat by which can of Rotel you buy–mild, original, or hot.)

Once you’ve added all the extra spices you want to add, let it simmer for 10 minutes or so on the stove.

If you wanted, you could start a pan of cornbread muffins before you started browning the ground beef. The muffins would be ready in time to serve as a side with the chili. Or you could just use tortilla chips like the lazy cheater I am.

Serve with sharp cheddar cheese and–here’s my super secret–PLAIN Greek yogurt. (I’m a fan of Chobani. And no, they didn’t pay me to say that.)

I like using Plain Greek Yogurt in my chili (and mashed potatoes and baked potatoes and dips) because it is PACKED with flavor. Packed, I tell you. I’m not a fan of fat free sour cream. Because it just isn’t good. Greek Yogurt is fat free. WITH flavor. See what I’m getting at here?

So, ladle up your chili, top with cheese and a dollop of Greek yogurt. Serve with the carby side of your choice. Enjoy.

Crappy phone pic. Delicious chili.