The fastest chili

I’ve talked about this chili recipe before in a roundup setting, but it’s strong enough to get its own spotlight.

There really are so many good chili recipes out there to meet whatever your hopes and dreams are, some could argue there are too many. But this specific one is perfect for a cold, snowy night at home that you didn’t necessarily prepare for. It comes together quickly and with minimal (largely non-perishable) ingredients, which is kind of off-brand for this soup in a good way.

Melissa Clark’s Vegetarian Skillet Chili via NYT Cooking

Notes for the chef:

• I went a little rogue and added some red and green bell pepper and a jalapeno because I had them leftover. This was a great decision, but not necessary if you’re going for simplicity. The first time I made it, I added nothing extra and it was fab.

• Something that’s worth calling out is the need to season this bad boy throughout. Don’t wait until the prompt — use your intuition. Also, I used at least 2 TSP of chili powder rather than one and added some cayenne and paprika — all things that normally make an appearance in chili and good if you like a kick.

• Melissa doesn’t specify what types of beans to use here (probably on purpose because it’s flexible) so definitely go with your faves! I’ve done it a little different each time, most recently featuring Great Northern and black beans.

• Top with the pickled onion/shallot, obviously, but also add some fresh lime juice, cilantro, cheddar cheese and plain Greek yogurt/sour cream.

• This definitely is a thick chili, so I wanted something to scoop it with though I didn’t plan for that. I did, however, have leftover flour tortilla shells, so I cut them up into triangles and fried them in a nonstick skillet with some neutral oil until they crisped up, then seasoned with salt. They weren’t exactly restaurant quality, but they tasted good!