Summer Chili With All The Veggies
Real chili, the kind I envision cowboys simmered over open flames, with secret recipes earning blue ribbons, is all about the meat. Hunks of various cuts of meat stew for forever with spices, pureed dried chilis, aromatics, and maybe tomatoes until it all falls apart into a rich gravy. Die-hard chili heads balk at adding beans or using ground meat, so they will most certainly hate this summer chili. Look away, chili purists. This baby is more vegetables than anything else.
Yes, it breaks all the rules by starting things off with ground meat, then uses generic chili powder instead of whole dried chilies, and as a final smack in the face, packs the whole damn farmers market into the pot. But it’s chili in its heart, I swear. And I think, exactly what you want to eat in this heat wave.
For this recipe, I drew some inspiration from loubieh bi zeit, a green bean stew Ham makes on repeat in the summer. The beans are cooked down until they fully melt into silky bites, which he serves as part of a mezze spread or as a side with grilled meat. It’s totally turned me around on fresh beans, which were never a summer vegetable I clamored for. If you run into us at the farmers market and see Ham packing a tote full of beans, that’s why.
Rather than getting its richness from meat, this chili takes a note from loubieh bi zeit, relying instead on the luscious texture of long simmered fresh beans. Use any kind you can get your hands on, like romano beans, wax beans, or string beans. But if all you can find are your standard green beans, they will work here just as well.
The fussiest part of this recipe is all the knife work, but a lot of it can happen while the meat browns, unless you’re not so confident in your chopping skills. In that case, I recommend you prep all your veggies before you get cooking so you can focus on the cooking part. This chili only tastes better as it sits, so it’s a great dish to prep on Sunday and eat all week.
You’ve got a lot of downtime while the whole pot simmers together, so I use that time to whip up a quick cornbread to serve alongside. Try this super easy recipe by King Arthur if you want to round out the meal. They also offer ways to jazz it up with bacon and cheese if you want to level things up.
serves 6 to 8 | active time: 30 minutes | total time: 1 ½ hours
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
4 ounces sweet peppers (about 1 large, 4 medium, or 8 small)
1 medium onion
3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
1 pound ground beef4 cups broth or stock, any kind
1 pound fresh beans, such as romano, string, wax, and/or green beans
2 medium summer squash (about 1 pound)
1 pound ripe tomatoes (any kind)
3 ears sweet corn
In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Chop the sweet peppers and onion.
Place a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add the beef and press into one even layer. Cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned underneath, 6 to 8 minutes.
While the meat browns, trim the stems off the fresh beans and cut into 1-inch pieces. Trim the stem off the squash and chop into ½-inch pieces. Roughly chop any large tomatoes. If using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half.
Once the meat has browned on one side (the opposite side will still be pink), if there’s a lot of fat in the pan, tilt the pot and use a spoon to scoop it up and discard it, leaving behind enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
Add the tomato paste, spices, and salt. Stir frequently and break up the meat, until the spices are aromatic and the tomato paste is sticking to the bottom of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the peppers and onions and cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until wilted and soft, 2 to 4 minutes.
Add the broth and scrape up any bits stuck to the pan. Add the beans, squash, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are totally tender and the broth is thickened and velvety, adding water if the mixture ever looks too thick, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, remove the husk and silk from the corn. Cut the kernels off the cobs and use the back of the knife to scrape out any starchy corn milk.
Once the vegetables are totally tender, taste and add salt as needed. Add the corn and simmer until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and cornbread alongside.
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