Freezer Chili

How much would you pay for 10 Qt of chili with meat and beans? What would it cost you? This pot of chili cost less than $10.

First of all, 10 Qt is a lot of chili. That is what my pot made. Usually that is enough and I move on... but this time I made 2 pots. It is a simple, basic, mild recipe enjoyed by the entire family. It freezes well. Stretched further by serving over elbow macaroni, this is a regular meal at our house.

As you can see, this is one recipe that isnt vacuum packed before freezing. I admit that I dont do so well with my Food Saver and moist foods.

This hasnt always been my method for storing the chili. I started off storing it in canning jars in the freezer. There was a real trick needed to remember to thaw the chili ahead or to microwave it to thaw without cracking the jar.


Moving on to quart size freezer bags was the best thing ever! They are easy to fill and seal, easy to stack, take up much less room than any other storage method and thaw rapidly. I label the bags with a Sharpie pen, roll back the edges, pour in 4 cups (from a liquid measuring cup), unfold the edges (nifty clean) and squeeze out the air before sealing. Frozen flat, these packages stack well or stand file-style easily. 5 quick minutes in the micro and the chili can be popped into a pan and heated within minutes. As mentioned above, we generally serve this over elbow macaroni with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

This recipe is from my Mother-in-law, Dottie.





Chili ala Alagna
saute 1 3/4 to 2 lbs ground beef with salt and pepper
add:
5 cloves garlic crushed
28oz can diced tomatoes with just enough water to rinse can
2-40oz cans store brand chili with beans with just enough water to rinse the can
27oz can red kidney beans
16 oz tomato sauce with 32oz water
3 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
heaping 1/2 t red pepper
2+ t chili powder
3 shakes tabasco
1/2 lg onion chopped
1 1/2 green peppers chopped
1/2 c chopped celery

Cook 5 hours.
Better the second day or after being frozen.
Yield: 6-8Qt

~Anne