Not a white chili, not a red chili — it’s more of an orange chili, and it’s the fastest chili I’ve ever made. I had an hour, in between the gym and a kid’s hockey game, and needed to feed the gang before we left.
I purchased an unfamiliar Better Than Bouillon Chili base. Sure, stock bases are rich in sodium, and I account for that when seasoning recipes. But the Better Than Bouillon line is the best I’ve tried, and is more economical than the pre-made containers of stock, which I also reach for when I’ve no time to make the stock from scratch. Cumin, peppers and garlic can be substituted for the chili base, if desired.
I kept the heat/spice level down to appease the kids and passed the hot sauces on the side. This chili was pretty darn tasty — my only complaint was it was a bit thin. The next day’s leftovers, however, were much thicker; the starch from the beans thickened the chili overnight.
I’ve another quick fix pantry chili similar to this; the main difference is it uses black beans instead of white and has a tomato base; both canned products are pre-seasoned for chili recipes.
Last year I made Smokey Quinoa Chili a couple of times, which is a super-charged, super-healthy soup packed with protein-rich quinoa and — bonus — which uses products from a local company, Eden Foods.
We made it to the game with time to burn. The chili is great, by the way, served with blue corn chips.
