Reddit mentions: The best chili mixes

I'm currently in love with a super simple combination I just came upon:

1/2 sweet potato

1 cup chili

1 oz lite mexican blend cheese

Bake sweet potato for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. I've been using 'Darn Good' Chili mix, which comes to 140 calories per cup prepared. Smother sweet potato half with chili and top with cheese (found at Trader Joe's).
Total calories: 343 if using ~5oz sweet potato per serving

Like I said, not super fancy or inventive, but the sweet potato gives it a great flavor that I wouldn't have originally considered to try and it's super filling!

This and this are your best friends. You add these to meat, and its chili.

I make the original one, and thicken it up with flax seed, not because I like the taste, but so I can get some fiber. Other delicious options to add are -

• Can of corn
  
• Jalepenos
  
• Sweet peppers - I personally like pepercini
  
• 1 Medium sized onion
  
• 1 green pepper
  
• 2 cans of beans, I like it with black beans. I know OP mentioned leaving them out, but FYI for anyone else.

I'm not exactly a gourmet cook but that slow cooker makes me seem like a pro. Use mixes like Bear Creek "doctor them up a little" and you will be amazed with the awesome meals you can create.

I find cooking for just myself the hardest part of not living at my parent's anymore. I grew up in a family of 6, then took culinary classes where I was making food for 40 people or more. Making food for just me is hard, especially as I get bored eating the leftovers over and over again before they go bad.

These are my favorite 20 minute and under meals, that if there are leftovers I like enough that I don't get bored of them before they go bad.

Quesadilla with salsa, or burritos (heat up burrito beans, add cheese and salsa when they're on the stove).

Grilled cheese, BLT, or PB&J.

Green salad, with whatever veggies I happened to pick up with the lettuce (cherry tomatoes, green onion, button mushrooms, mini sweet peppers, cucumber, carrot, radish, etc) add croutons, cheese, and dressing when I serve it. When I make it just for me it can last 4 or so days. At my dad's house, with my brother there, it's gone in one meal.

Spaghetti. I just get a jar of sauce and whichever noodles strike my fancy. Then I brown some spicy Italian sausage, and saute some bell pepper and onion. Mix it all together.

Spicy sausage + sauteed veggies + rice. It has no name, it's just quick and easy and scratched my "nothing sweet and nothing loaded with carbs" itch when I got home from a 5-hour baking class at 8 at night.

French toast or pancakes, or fried eggs and toast. I'm a big believer in breakfast for dinner, but I'll make savory french toast too if I've got bread like one with bits of roasted garlic in it. I make pancakes from Bisquick and add sprinkles (the small round non-pareil ones) when they're cooking and don't bother using syrup because I never liked overly sweet pancakes or french toast.

Saturday Night Dinner. This is a family dish that my grandmother made for my dad's family every Saturday night. My dad is the oldest of 7, and there's 18 of us cousins. There are at least 25 variations of this (probably more now that some of the cousins kids are old enough to cook. My siblings and I have eaten it at least once a month our entire lives, always have the ingredients on hand at home, and take it to potlucks with rave reviews for how simple it is. Anyway...Cook some sausage in a large skillet. Add cans of pork and beans. Add seasonings. Add 1 to 2 sliced apples. Simmer with lid on until apples are soft. My version uses spicy sausage (but not Italian) cooked in crumbles, sauteed onion, a small amount of molasses and mustard, and I skip the apples (never liked them). My dad cooks up spicy sausage in patties then quarters them, uses onion and jalapeño, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and a handful of brown sugar. One of my uncles uses maple breakfast sausage, tosses in some bacon too, maple syrup, and cubes the apples. As you can see, you can vary it as much as you want.


If I've got more time, I like this chili kit. I use a pound of ground beef and a pound of interesting sausage (I used chorizo once, for instance). Sautee onions and bell peppers. Use 2 cans of pinto beans, chose the fire roasted tomatos, and add in a can of the diced green chilis. Only takes about 10 minutes of prep, but it does need to stick around on the stove a while. Easy, but a little time consuming.

Also on the longer edge of things, but oh so good, what my family called soy sauce chicken. Bone in, skin on chicken thighs. Put into a baking dish. Douse in soy sauce (maybe a quarter inch deep in the pan). Turn chickens over so the sauce gets on the skin, then over again. Cook at 350 in the oven, turning them over or basting them occasionally until done. Usually about an hour or 90 minutes, and I turn them every 20 minutes. Serve with snow peans that have been sauteed with a hot sesame oil and rice. Again, not a lot of work, but more time consuming.

For chicken I like Valley Fresh Premium White Chicken Cuts It mushes up real nice to become shredded. I mix it with a bit of tabasco and put it in soup.

Libby’s Seasoned Beef Crumbles are good in chili.

The Progresso Chili's are good Red, White. I like to ad a pouch of one of the above meats for more meatyness.

I have also pre-cooked ground beef to be added to a can of chili. I like doing that because I can add a onion, and seasoning. I freeze it before it goes into the cooler. It is defrosted by the second day.

It's really easy. I'm bad at formatting so I'll just write it down here.

First, you need to get some chili powder stuffs. I figured out how to make it and it's not that hard. You need about 3-4 tablespoons of paprika and about 1-2 tablespoons cumin. another 1-2 tablespoons oregano. Then add garlic powder and salt/pepper and whatever else to taste. Or you can just buy this stuff. I don't use the salt or the flour that it comes with. Just the chili powder and the cayenne pepper.

What you're going to do is sauté half to a whole onion with garlic. How you cut the onion is up to you. I like to dice it. Once the onion starts getting nice and smelly you add your meat. I use 1-2 pounds ground beef. If you want to get real fancy you can add cubed round steak. Or any steak for that matter. Tonight I'm mixing 1 pound ground beef with 1 pound round steak. Once the meat is browned you add your tomatoes. I use about 1 large can of diced and one small can of whole peeled tomatoes. Then a can of black beans, kidney beans, whatever beans you want. But make sure to drain them first. Now time for the chili powder. That's what's nice about the brown box thing. It's way easier. If you're doing your own powder it's hard to measure out how much you're going to need. Next you're going to add a beer. I like to use Guiness since it's a stout. But any beer will do. Even bud light. (ew, gross). Then about 1-3 shots of bourbon. Now all you have to do is keep the heat low and stir for a few hours. That's about it.

I'm not sure mine is a traditional chili. But if you do it right it's damn tasty. Oh, get some green onions and some cheddar cheese to top the chili with. Also, corn bread. mmmmm corn bread.

If you make it, let me know how you like it. If you have any questions let me know.

Keep your chin up. You'll get through this. It'll all be over and you'll look back and laugh.

This isn't really a recipe, but sometimes my family members just send me these packets, and I mix it into vegan "ground beef" crumbles with a bit of tomato paste and perhaps some veggie broth and let it simmer for a while. The packets are pretty salty, though, just so you know. The packet has some suggestions for proportions as well. Sometimes I mix in some beans too!

One other thing that I've done to mix it up and make it a bit healthier was eating the chili with spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti. Obviously, empty carbs are tastier, but it was fun to try out and mix it up :)

I can find Bear Creek Darn Good Chili at my local Kroger-owned grocery store. It takes some simmering so it takes a while, and I add some sun dried tomatoes in place of a can of tomato paste.

If you have two pots you can do instant mashed potatoes and Stove Top stuffing as a meal.

Often the issue is getting enough fat content into whatever you're eating. So carrying a small amount of olive oil or ghee (clarified butter that doesn't have to be refrigerated, available at Indian grocery stores) to mix in with your entree can help a lot.
And for breakfast, you can do either oatmeal or GrapeNuts (for a nice crunch, remember to sweeten it a little) but you should definitely mix it with powdered whole milk, which is a little hard to find. I usually get it at a Mexican grocery store, but last time, I tried Peak that I ordered from Amazon and really liked it.

In any case, I like to measure the stuff out into ziplock bags (and maybe Sharpie the instructions onto the bag) because the off-the-shelf packaging seems ridiculously bulky (and likely isn't in the proportions you need).

My wife and I lived a few different places on the west coast while she did travel nursing for a year. I had my mom ship me packets of Cincinnati recipe chili seasoning and would make my own. It's a super easy recipe and it makes your whole place smell like Cincy style chili which is awesome.

6 Pack Cincinnati Chili Mix Packets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000B6O4LO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_0vfCCbQ789WDT

Peach Don't Want No Scrubs

If you have a slow cooker, you can stuff it full of meat and vegetables with this (you can find them in grocery stores) or this (they have a lot of different varieties, it's cheap, and it can also be found in grocery stores). The slow cooker does all the work for you and then when it's done you can package them all up and take one from the freezer every night before you leave for work.

We eat this all the time at home and it's delicious.

Ebook.

Good luck and thanks for the contest!

I'll just leave this here: http://www.amazon.com/Carroll-Shelbys-Original-Texas-4-Ounce/dp/B000H23Z1C

That, plus beef, plus fire-roasted tomatoes, plus beer = awesomeness.

I've done the from-scratch stuff a bunch of times, even fire-roasting the veggies myself, and putting in grilled steak, pulled pork, etc. This Shelby's mix, plus beef, tomatoes, and beer, is still the best I've had anywhere.

Bonus: Top it with fritos, cheese, onions, and Cholula sauce for instant win.

Don't do canned. Buy the spice packs and make it at home. 1.5 lbs ground beef, 1 can tomato paste, spice mix, & water. That's it man, super easy, and comes out perfect.

Did you know you can make it at home? And, in my opinion, it's even better!

I've made it with this several times, have never made it from scratch Although the recipe sounds pretty easy. Dammit, I think I'm gonna have to make this soon!

I actually like it better than the real thing. If for some reason you can’t find it in the store, it’s available on Amazon as well:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000B6O4LO/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_wuxaBbB9D8B2J

Yep - I moved to the northeast from Indiana and get cravings for Cincinnati chili a lot. This recipe wasn't too far off from Skyline but I have some random Better Homes cookbook with a Cincy chili recipe that I actually prefer to Skyline.


You can also buy the spice packets from Amazon. I know most Krogers I went to in Indiana had them as well.

1. Go to HEB.
   
2. Buy a pork shoulder/roast, roast it, let cool a bit, and then shred it.
   
3. Hopefully your HEB has Austin-based Cookwell & Company sauces, get the "Green Chile Stew" and throw it into the meat. That sauce is also good on enchiladas and all kinds of stuff:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Cookwell-Company-Natural-Two-step-Ounces/dp/B00142B4JE

Beef stroganoff is super easy, cheap, and will last you for days.

All you need:

• 2lbs stew beef
  
  
• one onion
  
  
• mushrooms
  
  
• slow cooker stroganoff sauce mix (my local supermarket sells these, ymmv)
  
  
• cup sour cream
  
  
  Serve it over egg noodles, mmmm.

For future reference, I've made some pretty good chili with these Cincinnati Chili spice packets.

http://www.amazon.com/Pack-Cincinnati-Chili-Mix-Packets/dp/B000B6O4LO/

When I moved out of Cincy, I missed it sorely. But guess what? I bought a box of 24 last year, and would be more than happy to send you one - PM me if you're interested.

It's the easiest meal in the world, and you can feed a family of 7 TWICE if you make enough noodles. Here are the tips: go to the grocery deli and buy a 1/2 pound of the American Cheese, but tell them not to slice it. Just cut off a big hunk from the bigger hunk. When you put the ground beef in the water (raw), don't use a fork - that's for sissies who hate Cincinnati Chili. Get your hands in there and pulverize the meat with your fingers until it feels like silk.

If you can manage that and have 3 hours to stir occasionally, you will be satisfied. I promise.

World's greatest bachelor food: Carroll Shelby's chili mix. You can't go wrong.

Use these. Add whatever ground meat you want and tomato paste. It is my current favorite with ground turkey and you can simmer it down to be as thick as you would like.

Buy an instapot pressure cooker and get some dried beans of all varieties. Pair the beans with rice and you have a complete protein! I am in romantic love with my pressure cooker. I'd recommend making chili in it right off the bat. (You'll need diced tomatoes, beans, onion, chipotle peppers and chili or taco seasoning. Split pea soup is also stupid easy and very affordable.


You can also get a seed sprouter and the seeds for it for some produce in your diet. I also like sprouting mungbeans. And it's getting a little late in the season to plant I think but consider starting a tomato plant.

My family uses this. Not as good as sitting in a Skyline restaurant but pretty decent as the closest Skyline is a 6 hour drive from me!

https://www.amazon.com/Cincinnati-Chili-2-25-Ounce-Packages-Pack/dp/B000HQR36Q/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1538847774&sr=8-3&keywords=cincinnati+chili&dpID=51QVDSBF2BL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Go ham with the pepper flakes in the sauce if you want it S P I C I.

Also buy some of those red peppers that usually come with it on amazon to make it super authentic.

I saw you went with a case of cans, but for future reference the packets are normally cheaper online. This brand is skyline (the fine print on the back says skytime but the address is the skyline factory in Fairfield on Thunderbird Ln.) and comes out closer to restaurant quality IMO. One packet makes about 4 cans worth of chili.

Edit: Now I see someone else suggested the same idea.

Instead of beef, I add cauliflower to the 'Skyline' packets. They say "Cincinnati Chilli", but come out of the Skyline factory address.

I also like the 'wings' OwloftheMorning mentioned.

here you go and here is the mix (just as good)(Definitely recommend the chili mix tho.)

The packaged spice will look like this. They aren't very expensive at the Chinese supermarkets, if you're around one. This is the type of noodle you should buy, this specific brand if you can. *To cook the noodles, have a pot of boiling water, dip the noodles in using a strainer for about 7-10 seconds, then take it out, straining the water as best you could.

I cube the beef (pretty big chunks) and it's a plus to have some fat leftover on the meat. Mix about 1/4th of the packaged spice with ketchup with the beef before you sear it. Once that's done, in the slow cooker, have water, beef broth, and about 1/2 the package of spices mixed in the slow cooker. Add the seared beef and cover for about 6 hours on low. At that point, you can add the potatoes and carrots (cut into slices) and it'll be done in about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You can also get french loaves and dip it into the soup.

If you're hurting...

https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Cincinnati-Chili-Mix-packets/dp/B000E4C1OK - pretty close if you need a fix.

Can't help with the goetta though. Smith's is owned by Kroger, maybe they can get a case.

The Bob Evans restaurant chain originated in Ohio. So you could pick something from their menu. The first thing that came to mind for me was biscuits and sausage gravy.

If you want to do Cincinnati style chili, there are certainly plenty of recipes on the Internet which you could start from. If you don't mind starting with a spice packet, rumor has it that this brand is actually made by the Skyline company. You might be able to find it in grocery stores.

Yep - you need a large skillet.

• Mission Fajita Grade Flour Tortillas (personally I avoid corn tortillas)
  
• Ortega or McCormick, or Taco Bell Fajita seasoning
  
• 1 lb Chicken breast
  
• 1 or 2 Bell Peppers
  
• 1 Onion (yellow preferred)
  
• Mexican, Cheddar Jack, or Taco Cheese
  
• Sour Cream (optional)
  
• ~2 Tbps Olive oil
  
  Cut the chicken up into about 1" cubes.
  Cut the pepper up into thin strips.
  Dice the onion.
  Fry the chicken up on high heat in the 2Tbps of olive oil until no longer pink. I like a browned crisp on some of the pieces. If too much water comes out of the chicken you may want to drain it and increase the heat.
  Add the diced onion, and pepper, add spice packet and HALF the water per directions. There's a lot of water in the onion and pepper so only use half what it says on the pack. Cook uncovered medium-high heat stirring for ~5 minutes.
  Lightly wet a tortilla and nuke it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to soften it if you like. Take it out and hop it between your hands until ~dry. It'll be a little hot. Sour cream, fajita stuffings, cheese on top, wrap it all up.
  
  *Whenever cooking with chicken you've gotta get the trash out of the house / apartment. Never leave uncooked chicken remnants or packaging in the trash for more than 12 hours or it will smell TERRIBLE!
  

French's Chili-O Original Seasoning Mix (21 oz.) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NUERU0G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xR05Cb5VP8EPQ

Buy in bulk.

31% sodium.....

you can get them on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Dried-Carolina-Reaper-Pepper-Packet/dp/B00P8WRN50/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1468663515&sr=8-3&keywords=carolina+reaper

> Cincinnati Recipe packets

I thought you were bullshitting then I went and looked at them on Amazon. You're right they're made by /for Skyline.

https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Cincinnati-Chili-Mix-packets/dp/B000E4C1OK/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1486570950&sr=8-2&keywords=cincinnati+chili

I get these, cheaper than buying in store.

EDIT: For me they are $2.69/pack in Kroger vs $2.14/pack on amazon

This one tastes really good and is recommended by Woks of Life:

Sichuan Pixian Boad Bean Paste with Red Chili Oil - 17.6 oz (500g) | Hong You Dou Ban https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M31VHNZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lP6WDbYYB2AV0

Also these chilies:


Soeos Hot Dried Chili, Szechuan Dried Chili，Dry Szechuan Pepper, Dry Chile Peppers, Sichuan Pepper, Dried Red Chilies, 4oz (Medium Hot). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079SRQHH3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vQ6WDbTFVS6JT

Try this if you want the packets: https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Cincinnati-Chili-Mix-Packets/dp/B000B6O4LO?th=1

If Scorpion Chili Peppers are the "Hottest Pepper in the World" at 1,400,000 SHU, why is the related item Carolina Reapers rated at 1,500,000 SHU not hotter?

You can find gold start chili packets online and make it yourself!

Amazon Link

Blue packet of seasoning you can find in the same area of Kroger that has gravy mixes and other pre-made seasonings
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000B6O4LO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BkTRAb3QJCB7B

Try making your chili with this mix, it's terrific.

Dovrebbe essere questo, ho provato cose simili in Indonesia, e alla sola vista il mio fegato minaccia di dimettersi.

This spice mix is made by Skyline, even though it doesn't say so on the package.

Chili threads http://www.amazon.com/OliveNation-Mild-Chili-Threads/dp/B00BFZD7FY/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1465049178&sr=8-3&keywords=chili+thread

I don't live in Minnesota anymore, so you'd need to wait till I go back home to visit my parents sometime in the Spring (doing my parents Christmas first and hers second)

Maybe this will help? https://smile.amazon.com/Pack-Cincinnati-Chili-Mix-Packets/dp/B000B6O4LO/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=skyline+chili&qid=1574188713&sprefix=skyline+&sr=8-5

http://www.amazon.com/Carroll-Shelbys-Original-Texas-4-Ounce/dp/B000H23Z1C

Here ya go

Here are the spice packets. 1 gallon per packet. I usually go a little less on the recommended water for meatier chili. Miles better than that shit in a can. https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Cincinnati-Chili-Mix-Packets/dp/B000B6O4LO

Crock pot. 12 hours low. 2 lbs beef lightly browned. Tobasco. Chili mix

You could order these - http://www.amazon.com/Pack-Cincinnati-Chili-Mix-packets/dp/B000E4C1OK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1333800553&sr=8-5


I get them from walmart or Krogers, and personally I think it tastes better than the skyline brand version.

Its pretty simple. Just boil hamburger, add in spice packet.

I also like adding a heaping spoonfull of crushed garlic.


To be honest, you'll probably have a lynch mob after you if you call Cincinnati Chili Chili to people out west. Refer to it as "Hot dog sauce". I like both kinds, but I've noticed people that aren't from this area tend to order a bowl of Cincinnati Chili then get pissed when its not what they expect as "chili". "What the fuck is this shit? Its just boiled meat water!"