Cold Night Supper

It was a beautifully sunny and warm day but the nighttime can bring a chill.  Time to warm up with some vegetable beef chili.  I've made this for 20+ years, and I like it because I like dinner to include meat and vegetables.  This is like a full meal in a pot.

Beef and Vegetable Chili

Beef and Vegetable Chili

3/4 lb ground chuck
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced yellow (or red) bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 cups diced zucchini (or mixture of zucchini and yellow squash)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup diced carrots
2 1/2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. sugar
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
32 oz. kidney beans
29 oz. no-salt added whole tomatoes coarsely chopped (or diced tomatoes)
16 oz. no-salt added tomato sauce

In a large Dutch oven, cook meat, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and garlic over medium high heat until browned, stirring to crumble meat.  Drain if necessary and return to pan.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until thickened.