Karen: Don’t you hate it when you buy a shirt and after one wash it never looks the same again?
Eric: It’s called ironing.
Karen: So…yeah. It will never look the same again.
True story. It’s not even just that I hate ironing (which I do, with a fiery passion) but I’m just terrible at it. Eric iron’s one of his dress shirts in like 3 minutes flat, me? 20 minutes, if I’m lucky. And it still looks like crap.
Do you have a favorite chili recipe? I didn’t, until now. I always thought they all tasted kind of the same. (Except for the really sweet ones that have brown sugar in them, I hate those.) Chili is so great for fall. It just makes me want to cozy up with a book wearing slippers and a sweater. And a wrinkled shirt, no doubt.
This chili recipe is The-Same-But-Different. (You know what I mean.) It still tastes like classic chili, but has a nice chipotle twist. I love it. Oh, and steak. Did I mention the steak?

Chipotle Chili with Steak

Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 pounds boneless beef shoulder top blade, flat iron steak
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cups chopped onion, 2 large
- 1 cup chopped green sweet pepper, 1 large
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2-3 teaspoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped*
- 2 15-oz cans kidney beans, pinto beans and/or black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- sour cream
- cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Use a serrated knife to trim the fat from the steak. Chop into bite-size pieces, about 3/4 inch. Pat them with a paper towel (don't stress about it, just a quick pat) and salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Add half the meat (or 1/3, if your pot is not very wide on the bottom) and cook until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate, and repeat until all the meat is browned, adding more oil as necessary.
- Add onion, sweet pepper, and garlic to the meat drippings and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Drain the fat. Add the chili powder, basil, and pepper. Return the meat to the pot. Stir in chopped chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce.
- Stir in beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat to about medium low. Simmer, covered, for an hour, until meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Top each serving with sour cream and shredded cheese.
I tried this recipe out for our chili cook-off at work. It was my first time ever making chili. (I remembered after signing up that I don’t really like chili which is why I’ve never made it before). I loved the chili and so did the judges – thanks for the winning recipe. :)
Don’t you hate it when you sign up for something you don’t even like to make? haha been there. I’m so glad you won, that is totally awesome!! Maybe you’re a chili fan now!
I love adding chipotle to chili! It gives it such amazing flavor with a slight kick of spice. Yummm :)
I’m obsessed with chipotle lately! It just makes everything amazing!
You should have a new category of recipes on your blog labeled “MANFOOD.” And this should be at the top. Looks incredible.
Sarah you are a genius I should so do that!
I hate ironing. Once, because I hemmed some Scout pants for my son, I got out the ironing board to make the whole thing look “professional.” My six year old stared me in fascination and said, “WOW! What’s that called?” She had never seen an iron. FAIL.
HA! That is so going to happen to me someday. I’m seriously considering the steamer idea. Sometimes the straightener just doesn’t cut it.
I hate ironing with a passion. I feel like it irons shouldn’t even exist. I haven’t used ours in years… almost sold it in the garage sale.. but then I was like maybe some day I will need it.. and then I will be mad because I will have to buy one. :) Love the idea of using steak in chili. Yum!
You should have sold it. You can always use your straightener in a pinch. (What, I’m the only freak who does that??)
I loathe ironing, and i’m horrible at it as well! Zack isn’t too great with an iron either so we invested in a steamer, and it’s been amazing. I still have to iron some things but the steamer takes care of a lot, and it’s so much easier to use!
Ooh that is such a fabulous idea Jaclyn!