Beanless chili recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 3 quarts (2.8 liters) good quality canned tomatoes;
• 5 lbs ground beef;
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil;
• 6 cloves garlic, minced;
• 1 onion, finely chopped;
• 5 celery stalks, chopped;
• 5 carrots, chopped;
• 4 cups button mushrooms, chopped;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 3 thyme sprigs;
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

1. In a large skillet over a medium heat, cook the ground beef with some cooking fat if needed.
2. In a very large saucepan over a medium heat, saute the garlic in olive oil. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant.
3. Add the onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms to the saucepan. Stir well and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
4. Add the canned tomatoes, followed by the cooked ground beef. Stir well.
5. Drop in the bay leaves, thyme and parsley.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 4 hours or until thick, stirring occasionaly.
7. Adjust the seasoning by adding salt or pepper, if needed and remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Be aware, this recipe makes quite a large batch, but it is great for freezing! You can simply pour individual portions in freezer-proof plastic bags and freeze it. Then, once you feel like having a good bowl of the delicious and comforting chili, you simply have to pull a portion out of the freezer.