‘Almost’ Texas Chili
with cornbread muffins

Name: ‘Almost’ Texas Chili
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 Onions, medium, chopped; 1 Bell peppers, green, chopped; 4 cloves Garlic, chopped; 3 Tbsp Cornmeal, finely ground; 1 Tbsp Chili powder; 2 tsp Cumin; 2 tsp Brown sugar; 1 tsp Oregano; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Black pepper; 1/4 tsp Cinnamon; 2 lbs Beef stew meat, cubed (sub beef sirloin or chuck); 1 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 3 cups Stock, low-sodium beef; 1 cup Beer (lager or other light-flavored beer; sub stock); 1 can Tomatoes, crushed (15 oz / 397 g); 2 stalks Green onions , chopped, green and white parts combined; 1 Tbsp Vinegar, apple cider; to taste Hot sauce (opt); for serving Sour cream (sub plain or Greek yogurt); 1 Jalapenos, diced; 1 cup Cornmeal, yellow; 1 cup Flour, all-purpose; 1 Tbsp Sugar; 2 tsp Baking powder; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1 Eggs; 1/4 cup Oil, cooking; 2 Tbsp Honey; 1 cup Milk

Active: 45 Total: 60

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

Texas chili differentiates itself with a unique mix of spices (including a tiny bit of cinnamon for depth) and uses only meat - no beans.
Smarts: We call this 'Almost' Texas Chili because the base is usually made entirely with dried peppers (no tomatoes), but we've taken some liberties to make our version workable for all spice preferences. Feel free to kick up the spice with some hot sauce or red pepper flakes.
Smarts: This recipe makes 8 cornbread muffins (for 4 servings). Any extras freeze well.

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

‘Almost’ Texas Chili (for two nights):

Onions, medium - 1 , chopped
Bell peppers, green - 1 , chopped
Garlic - 4 cloves , chopped
Cornmeal, finely ground - 3 Tbsp
Chili powder - 1 Tbsp
Cumin - 2 tsp
Brown sugar - 2 tsp
Oregano - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp
Beef stew meat, cubed - 2 lbs (sub beef sirloin or chuck)
Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Stock, low-sodium beef - 3 cups
Beer - 1 cup (lager or other light-flavored beer; sub stock)
Tomatoes, crushed (15 oz / 397 g) - 1 can
Green onions - 2 stalks , chopped, green and white parts combined
Vinegar, apple cider - 1 Tbsp
Hot sauce (opt) - to taste
Sour cream - for serving (sub plain or Greek yogurt)

Jalapeno-Honey Cornbread Muffins:

Jalapenos - 1 , diced
Cornmeal, yellow - 1 cup
Flour, all-purpose - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 Tbsp
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Eggs - 1
Oil, cooking - 1/4 cup
Honey - 2 Tbsp
Milk - 1 cup

Prep

Jalapenos / Onions / Bell peppers / Garlic - Prep as directed. Store jalapenos in one container. Combine onions, bell peppers and garlic in another container. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Make chili spice mix - Combine cornmeal (portion for the chili), chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, oregano, salt, black pepper and cinnamon. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Beef - If beef is not pre-sliced into cubes, slice into 1” / 2.5cm cubes. Season with some salt and pepper and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

Unlock this meal along with hundreds of smart meal plans and never stress about "What's for dinner?" again

Try for free
Learn More

Make

Heat oven to 350F / 177C. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or brush with some oil (alternatively, you can plan to bake your cornbread in an oven-safe skillet brushed with some oil).
While oven heats, place a Dutch oven with oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and saute until golden brown on the outside (don’t worry if it isn’t cooked all the way through), ~5 minutes. Set aside and return pan with pan drippings to heat.
To pan drippings, add onions, bell peppers and garlic and saute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add spice mix and saute until fragrant, ~1 minute more.
Add stock, beer and tomatoes to pan and bring to a simmer. Add beef back to pan. Place lid on the chili and simmer until beef is tender, ~45 minutes.
While chili simmers, make cornbread. In one bowl, whisk together cornmeal (portion for cornbread), flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs and add oil, honey and milk. Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in jalapenos (if using).
Spoon cornbread batter into prepared muffin tin (or skillet). Bake until just set in the center, 15 to 17 minutes.
Just before serving, chop green onions.
Stir vinegar into chili. Season with some salt and pepper (and some hot sauce if you’d like). Set half aside for Thursday’s meal.
Serve chili with green onions and sour cream on top. Enjoy with cornbread on the side.

Reviews

Ratings

0 reviews

‘Almost’ Texas Chili with cornbread muffins