Although this is a fairly new dish for my family, it won us over with its amazing flavors, simple steps, and ability to be great leftovers (this is huge for me because I’m usually anti leftovers). Another reason these chili bowls won me over is that their base is white rice, and to be totally honest there are very few things in the world I love as much as white rice. So without further ado, turn on your favorite Latin pop song, transport yourself to Mexico, and get cooking!
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ⅛ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon lime zest plus 1 ½ tablespoon lime juice
- Salt and pepper
- ½ lb. 90% lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon water plus 1 cup of water
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup white rice
- ½ large onion chopped fine
- ½ red bell pepper (stemmed, seeded, and chopped)
- 1 garlic clove (pressed)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 7 oz tomato sauce (½ of a 15oz can)
- 7 oz black beans (rinsed, ½ of a 15 oz can)
- ½ a cup of frozen corn (thawed)
DIRECTIONS
The first thing you’re going to do is make the lime-cilantro crema that’ll go on top of the chili when serving. Start by whisking the sour cream, one tablespoon cilantro, half a teaspoon of lime zest, one teaspoon lime juice, and one-eighth teaspoon of salt together in a bowl; cover and refrigerate until serving.
Next, you’ll move onto making the chili by tossing the beef with one tablespoon of water, one – eighth teaspoon of baking soda, salt, and a pinch of pepper in a bowl until thoroughly combined; let sit for twenty minutes. While the meat sits start making your white rice as directed on the packaging in a pot.
Once your meat is done sitting, you’ll want to heat one tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large pan. Next, add in the onion and bell pepper and cook until they just start beginning to brown, about five-seven minutes. After the onion and bell pepper are browned, add in your beef. When cooking the beef it’s important to break it up into pieces with a wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink, (about eight minutes).
After your beef is no longer pink, stir in the garlic, cumin, and chile powder, and cook for one minute. Follow that by stirring in the tomato sauce, beans, corn, one-fourth teaspoon of salt, and cook until the mixture becomes slightly thickened, about three minutes.
Once your chili has slightly thickened it’s ready to serve! Spoon the chili over rice in a bowl, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve with the lime-cilantro crema. Enjoy!
