Chili is Quick & Easy Comfort Food All Year Long

Create Time-Saving Dinner Menus or Treat Guests at a Casual Party

Oct 24, 2009

Serve Chili in a Bread Bowl for Dinner, Chris_Breeze

Chili is a versatile favorite food suitable for one person or a crowd. New cooks appreciate the convenience of canned chili, but homemade recipes are usually healthier.

Chili is popular comfort food, especially on cold winter days. Depending on the ingredients – and whether it's canned or homemade – chili is nutritionally healthy. Chili with beans is a good source of fiber and iron. For many service and church groups, a fall festival (or spring fling) wouldn't be complete without a homemade chili cook-off. Chili kits give the novice cook a confident head start, while a seasoned chef might create the perfect chili recipe by taste alone.

Chili Nutrition Depends on the Ingredients

Canned chili with beans is high in fiber and iron according to Calorie Count website and the posted nutritional facts information titled, "Calories in Chili, with Beans, Canned" (no author, 2009). One cup of canned chili contains less than 300 calories. The unhealthy side of canned chili is that it's high in saturated fat and sodium.

Chili Kits are a collection of seasoning packets. A cook can add tomato sauce, ground beef, kidney beans, and water for traditional chili. The calories and nutritional value change if ground turkey or cubed chicken is substituted for ground beef, or if the beans are omitted. Some cooks get creative, adding fresh tomatoes, onion and green peppers to the chili pot.

Homemade chili recipes vary widely and may offer anything from ground beef to seafood in the ingredients. Serious cooks enter chili contests to win prizes for their work

Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas Using Chili

Add chili to the weekly dinner menu for an easy meal that takes only minutes to prepare. Canned chili is convenient, but homemade chili – including chili made from kits – is more nutritional when healthy ingredients are added to the recipe. Simply make a large batch of chili ahead of time, divide into quart-size containers and freeze for later use.

Try creative chili dinner ideas such as:

Top a bowl of chili with shredded cheddar cheese and serve with crackers. Add a green or tossed salad on the side for a nutritious meal.
Serve chili over cooked rice or pasta. Top with shredded cheese (Any cheddar will do, mozzarella, or try sliced American)
Spoon chili into a bread bowl and top with shredded cheese. Kaiser rolls can be used and are a good size for kids. Slice a thin layer off the top of the roll and cut out some of the bread inside to make a well for the chili.*
Chili served with cornbread on the side is a true comfort dish. Add a green salad for a complete meal.
Chili dogs and chili cheese dogs fit perfectly on movie nights and are popular for teen parties. Put toppings on the table so diners can make their own creations: chopped onion, coleslaw, melted cheese, etc.
Serve steaming bowls of chili with grilled cheese sandwiches for a hearty supper on a cold winter night.
Top a baked potato (fluff the potato and make a well) with a heaping spoonful of chili and add toppings: shredded cheese, chopped green onion, sour cream).
Treat kids or teens to a fun night of chili and fries or chili cheese fries.

*Hint: Don't toss out the bread carved from the bread bowls, especially if a lot of bowls were used for a party or other large group. Try these ideas instead:

Season bread leftovers lightly with garlic powder, onion powder or other seasoning. Toast bread pieces in the oven for few minutes to make crunchy salad croutons.
Store bread leftovers in the freezer and use for holiday dressing/stuffing.
Store bread in the freezer. Add as needed to casseroles or make crumbs for a casserole topping.

October is National Chili Month. Cooler temperatures call for hearty foods, but chili can be enjoyed in a variety of ways during any season. Chili kits help speed cooking time and give a novice cook confidence in how to use chili seasonings for best taste results. Serve chili to party guests on Halloween or let teens get creative with chili dogs. Make it a family night with chili cheese fries. For a casual home-cooked meal, chili is a versatile and healthy choice any time of year.

The copyright of the article Chili is Quick & Easy Comfort Food All Year Long in Seasonal Cooking is owned by Mary King. Permission to republish Chili is Quick & Easy Comfort Food All Year Long in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.