Are you ready for another bean dish? I sure am, which is a good thing considering how many kinds of beans I have on hand. (I’m not hoarding; I’m just extremely well stocked.)
Over the weekend, I put a couple of cans of beans to work in a quick vegetarian skillet chili. Like every recipe I’m writing about lately, it’s very adaptable. You can use any kind (or kinds) of beans, swap out the spices, skip the tomatoes — or double them, if your can is bigger than mine. Skillet chili also happens to be fast and easy, good recipe traits whether you’re overwhelmingly busy or anxious, or a little of each.
[This post appeared as part of the Coronanvirus Lives blog, part of a weekday series in which Melissa Clark teaches you how to cook with pantry staples.]
This recipe starts, like many great dishes, by sautéing an onion or shallots or leeks in some oil with a pinch of salt (any kind of oil, any kind of allium). When tender and golden at the edges, add minced garlic and a jalapeño or other chile if you have one. Let it all cook until it starts to smell delicious, then add spices — chili powder, cumin, coriander — and let those toast for a minute to bring out their flavors. Crumble in some dried oregano or marjoram, if you like, and add two 15-ounce cans of drained beans (any kind) and any size can of tomatoes with their liquid. (I used a 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes.) Simmer it all for 15 to 20 minutes, so the flavors can meld.
Taste, and add more salt and spices if the chili needs it. I like to serve this with sliced red onions, which I’ve soaked in lime juice along with a pinch each of salt and sugar. But jarred pickled peppers are great, too, as are sliced scallions and a nice, fat, optional dollop of sour cream or yogurt. This makes enough for three or four people, or freezes perfectly if you’re by yourself.
Related Recipe: Vegetarian Skillet Chili
Other Recipes: Dried beans. Baked oats. Canned tuna pasta. Any-vegetable soup. Pantry crumb cake.