eva666•5mo ago

My mom's 'cheap' chili recipe actually saved me $40 this week

Last Monday I was staring at my grocery bill and nearly had a heart attack. My mom has been telling me for years to make a big pot of chili with canned beans and tomatoes instead of buying premade stuff. I finally tried her recipe using two cans of kidney beans, a can of diced tomatoes, some onion and garlic powder, and a pound of the cheapest ground beef I could find. It made enough for five meals and cost me like $12 total. I usually spend $8 to $10 on a single takeout bowl from the place downtown. So yeah, she was right and I was being stubborn for no reason. Anyone else have a family recipe that slaps way harder than the expensive versions?

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andrew6935mo ago

Wait, have you tried adding a can of those cheap rotel tomatoes with chiles? That little smoky kick makes it taste like you simmered it all day when it really only took 30 minutes. I've been doing that swap for years and it levels up the whole pot without adding more than a dollar or two.

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spencer_thomas43mo ago

@faithb76 ever try tossing in a spoonful of brown sugar when the tomatoes go in... weirdly works.

8

faithb765mo ago

Hold up, you're telling me a can of Rotel can mimic that all day simmered taste? That's wild! I've been dumping in chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and it's good, but man, I'm always chasing that deep, slow cooked flavor without actually standing over the stove for hours. I gotta try this, because my secret has always been a splash of Worcestshire and some smoked paprika, but it never quite gets that same kick. That's a game changer for sure.

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