Kid loved chili
“I don’t like chili”
“It’s too spicy! I’m not eating it.”
“Beans are too squishy.”
Welcome to the all too familiar scene as I served chili for supper. I tried many different recipes without success. Too spicy. Too bean-y. Too hot.
This recipe was born out of those snubbed attempts. I’m happy to say that it’s a regular in our meal rotation now!
- It’s mild.
- The beans are mostly smashed up… or all, if you want. This gives it a less ‘squishy’ texture for those of you who have kids who aren’t fans of beans, and also gives a nice creaminess.
- It has corn. <—— this is what won our boys over to begin with. You can read about it here if you wonder why corn was the hero. Get your kids to try new foods without the fuss.
- It has a hint of sweet with the small amount of maple syrup, corn, and sweet potato.
This will take about 45 minutes from start to table, and we serve it with either shredded cheese and chips, or with a slice of toast. The veggies are also highly adaptable, & you can absolutely leave some out if they’ll bring on an uprising. 🙂
Supercharged kid loved maple chili
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
A mild, kid loved chili with a hint of maple, plus corn, lentils, quinoa, beans, and veggies!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 398 ml (approx 13.5oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 3/4 c cooked or canned white beans, divided
- 1/4 cup dry red lentils
- 1/4 cup dry quinoa
- 1 cup finely shredded carrot or sweet potato
- 1 1/2 T maple syrup (or to taste)
- 2 cups water (add more by 1/4 cups if needed)
- handful spinach, finely chopped
- 1 cup frozen corn
Instructions
- Brown ground beef
- Add onion, salt, and pepper and cook a few minutes longer
- Mash 1 cup white beans (or blend with a little water)*
- Add all ingredients except corn and spinach to a large pot
- Bring to simmer and simmer over low heat 20 minutes.
- Add corn and spinach (and extra water if needed)
- Simmer 10 minutes longer
- Serve- can top with shredded cheese and eat with taco chips, or enjoy with toast
Notes
*You can mash all beans if you prefer no beans left whole
From my kitchen to yours – enjoy!
