Cheater's Chili

I make this chili a lot for friends in Athens when we have "family" dinner nights at my apartment. When I made it at home for the first time, my mom looked at the ingredients and shook her head at me, claiming it was "cheater's chili". But she quickly bit her tongue once she tried it. Who said simple can't be delicious? Anyone can make and impress friends with this chili!

What you'll need:

For the Chili:
1 lb lean ground meat (I used ground venison)

1/2 large green bell pepper, diced

1/2 onion, diced
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 8 oz jar salsa (however hot you'd like)
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 packet reduced sodium chili seasoning mix

To garnish:
fat free sour cream
2% reduced-fat cheddar cheese, grated

**Always try to buy reduced sodium or no salt added versions of the canned ingredients, if you can.

What to do:

For the Chili:

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the meat with the diced onion and green bell pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes. Drain the fat.

Add the mixture to a large pot, also over medium heat. You can do the first step in the large pot to start off with, but it makes it harder to drain the fat.

In a large colander, drain and rinse the beans thoroughly. Add them to the pot with the meat, along with all of the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Reduce heat to low, place lid on the pot, and simmer for at least an hour. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the chili burning to the bottom. Serve with sour cream and cheddar cheese!

Enjoy!