Chili with Meatballs

I once caught a 30-lb. cod. Thirty pounds! Can you imagine how big that thing was? I can’t even begin to calculate how much that is in metric measure, but I always have trouble calculating my birthday and address in metric, too. With only a small fridge on our boat, we ate cod several days in a row, prompting our then-14-year-old son to groan: “Cod is a four-letter word ...”

I hope Meatballs hasn’t become a four-letter word for you, because he-e-ere’s another Meatball recipe! Whoopie! 

My reasoning is that Meatballs are a good source of protein, providing many easy meals at a reasonable cost and at a time - a global pandemic - when you may not want to leave the house very often. So ... 

Chili with Meatballs

If you’re a Chili fan, you’ll love this spicy one! I’ve also served it as a buffet party dish ... It’s terrific.

Chili with Meatballs:

1/3 c. (80 mL) canola oil

2 large onions, in medium dice

2 green bell peppers (capsicums), seeded, in medium dice

Two cans 28-fl. oz. each (796 mL each) diced tomatoes with juice

1 tbsp. (15 mL) salt

1/4 tsp. (1 mL) cumin 

1/4 tsp. (1 mL) ground cloves

2 small bay leaves, crumbled

3 tbsp. (45 mL) chili powder

1 c. (250 mL) red wine

Three 19 fl. oz. each (840 mL each) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2-to-3 doz. fresh or frozen meatballs (See Meatball Note) 

Preheat over to 350 deg. F. Add oil and onions to Dutch oven over medium heat on stovetop. Stir 5 min., until onions are soft and translucent. Add peppers, stirring a further 3 min. 

Stir in tomatoes and juice. In small bowl, combine and add salt, cumin, cloves, bay leaves, and chili powder. 

Mmmm ... Spicy! 

Stir in red wine. Simmer, covered, 30 min. Uncover and simmer a further 30 min. Gently stir in kidney beans and meatballs (See Bloody Hell and Total Panic Note). 

Remove from stovetop and bake, uncovered, 1 hr. Yields 8-to-12 servings. 

Note: To make the day before, cover and refrigerate without baking. On the day you want to serve this, bake, uncovered, 90 min. 

Meatball Note: To prepare yours from scratch, see the Index for How to Make Meatballs. If you prefer the convenience of commercially made frozen meatballs, bake directly from freezer at 350 deg. F. 14-to-16 min. Drain and blot fat away before adding meatballs to Chili. If you’d rather make your own ... Nothing tastes better!  

That’s a spicy meatball!

Bloody Hell and Total Panic Note: My big ol’ Dutch oven proved no match for the size of this recipe. No match! Ron transferred the works to an older but larger soup pot, in which the Chili baked. Which is why you see two very different pots in these photos.

Dutch oven: Looks aren’t everything ...

Utilitarian soup pot wins the day!