Traditionally, White Bean Chili is a cream-based or sour-cream based chili used with turkey or chicken. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good chili with chicken or turkey! BUT, I really messed up my weekend cooking when I thought I had thawed out strip steaks but turns out it was a 2 lb beef roast. Good thing I keep dried beans in the pantry, ALWAYS. They're cheap, they take 1 day of planning, but let's be real, it takes a day to thaw out a beef roast so not a big deal, plus, I like the texture better. You can truly cook it low and slow and not worry about the beans becoming mushy.
This is a big deal when you're gone for 8 hours during a the snowiest Sunday on record in the last 5 years. PS, we live in the Chicago suburbs, and we got 12 inches of snow...apparently that's the snowiest storm in 5 years. Seemed weird to me but I still have PTSD from shoveling out my poor old 2004 Escape when living in the city when the snowstorm of 2011 hit dumping 24+ inches of snow on us. I digress.
This chili is hearty, includes a beef roast so the bites of beef with the classic chili flavorings in addition to all the toppings is delicious. Plus, the white beans are soooo good. Plenty of fiber, not too soft but also can withstand a few re-heatings. Chili is one of those things that you make and you can feed your family for multiple days in a row. Thank goodness. These people eat a lot!
So let's start with the ingredients...
Beef Roast:
Definitely not a classic chili ingredient. I had it on hand, it's delicious and usually I use it for a Sunday roast or my favorite, Italian Beefs. But turns out, if you are even more pressed for time, throwing in a beef roast is an awesome opportunity to use a low-cost ingredient and turns out it's even better than ground beef.
Dried Northern Beans:
Literally costs around $1.00 for a 2 pound bag of these. With some basic planning, get them soaking in water overnight and you have a very basic and delicious staple to your chili. It takes a lot of time to cook, so the good news is it's easier to carry into the house, they don't get soft or mushy, and plus, they have fantastic fiber content! Around 25% for someone eating a 2000 calorie diet. Awesome!
Veggies:
I'm old school, but onions, carrots and bell peppers belong in a chili. I didn't use a ton as I wanted the meat and beans to be the star, but let's be real, anytime we can sneak in extra veggies as a mom is a win in my book.
Extras:
Rotel, amazing. Beef stock. Tomato Sauce. All the yummies that pull it all together. Decide up front if you want spicy or mild Rotel, this makes a decent sized difference for those you're cooking for!
Seasonings:
Every cook should learn a few basic spices that go well together. Garlic, amazing. Onion powder, goes with garlic powder, also amazing. Cumin for Mexican cooking and chilis. Salt and Pepper is life. Chili Powder is completely necessary for a red-sauced chili to make chili in general...you get my point. The seasonings are a lot when it comes to chili. But if you have a simple measuring spoon, and a local Aldi, you can stock up on the basics and they will come in handy in more than one way, I promise!
So I am very much a dump and go crockpot type of person. If I'm having to brown meat, or cook vegetables, I tend to get annoyed. I use the crockpot when I am short on time and need to be hands off but also get food on the table. This last Sunday was exactly that. We had 12 inches of snow in less than 14 hours and a day trip to the city planned. I knew the roads would be crap when we got home so I wanted dinner done and to do no more than to stir, place in bowls, add toppings and be done. This is exactly what this is.
I headed to the gym at 7 AM, was back by 8;15 am, done with dinner by 8:30 AM and on the road. Yes!
I highly recommend topping with greek yogurt for extra protein, or sour cream because that's also delicious, cheddar cheese, green onions, if you have some bacon...fantastic, you name it. It's extremely versatile. It reheats well too! You can make it spicier too if that's your style. The world is your oyster.
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