Full of vegetables, beans, and meat – this chili is a crowd pleaser even with haters of celery.
By Brady Evans
Sometimes, I’ve learned, it is a good idea to keep your mouth shut. I was sitting around a campfire with friends one recent evening while this chilli was simmering on the stove. 
Somehow our chatter drifted to the conversation of foods we hate. One of my guests professed to hating celery. Oh no. This recipe had fully 3 stalks of celery in it.
I had a decision to make: should I confess that there was celery in that night’s dinner or not?
Dinner was served outdoors while we mingled around a campfire. The light was dim so I’m not sure if my celery-hating dinner guest noticed the presence of the vegetable in our dinner or not. What I did notice was the HUGE serving he ate and the many compliments to the chef he gave. Celery or not, this chilli was a hit.
PrintChili
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
full of vegetables, beans, and meat – this chili is a crowd pleaser
Ingredients
- 1 lb. mixed ground beef and Italian sausage, browned and drained
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 c. chopped celery
- 2 (28-oz. 830 mL) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 (15-oz., 450 mL) can diced tomatoes
- 2 TBSP ground cumin
- 1/4 c. chili powder
- 1 TBSP dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 (14.5-oz., 450 mL) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz., 450mL) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a skillet brown ground beef and sausage, drain and set aside.
- Spray large pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and celery. Saute briefly.
- Stir in tomatoes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and Cayenne (if desired) and cook for about 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Add the beans and browned meat. Partially cover, and let simmer for 4 hours.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours
This is a very good recipe for chili. But I am interested in chili recipes, that do not have bell pepper or celery in them.
I made this chili and put it in a crock pot on low for about 6 hours and it was fantastic. My guests thought it was delish. A friend told me she does homemade cinnamon rolls with her chili because the cinnamon cuts the heat. Sounds weird but tastes really good, a new tradition.
Very nice recipe, similar to my own, but I use ground turkey and a variety of peppers. My chili is not for your average person. It’s very healthy but mucho mucho picante
Celery does not belong in chili!!!!
I have to agree. Why the celery? I never heard of this until I moved to the mid-west. Is this a regional thing? I tried it once and it was not appetizing.