Chocolate Chili

After a windy and chilly (no pun intended) day at the soccer fields, I couldn’t think of a better way to warm up than with this chili that has an unexpected ingredient, cocoa! Put it on the stovetop in the morning and let it simmer away. Or better yet, make it the day ahead to give it that “next day better” goodness.

I like to make this in a big batch and freeze the rest of it to have on hand for those busy weeknights. You can certainly eat it as, but we enjoy ours over rice with lightly salted avocado slices and garnished with chopped red onion and cilantro. A little dollop of sour cream doesn’t hurt either and the tortilla chips…well, they really make it. In fact, it seems we eat the chili with tortilla chips instead of a spoon or fork. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chili

By Nicole Prep: 10 minsCook: 3 hrsTotal: 3 hrs 10 mins Servings: 8 Turn your everyday chili into something special and scrumptious with the addition of cocoa powder!

Ingredients 

• 2 tablespoons Safflower oil or other neutral oil
• 2 onions, small diced
• 2 pound ground beef
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup beef stock
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2½ teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Accompaniments

• Steamed white rice
• Avocado
• Cilantro
• Red onion
• Sour cream
• Tortilla chips

Instructions 

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add the ground beef breaking up any large pieces. Cook for 5-7 minutes until browned. Reduce the heat and add the diced tomatoes, beef stock, tomato paste, cocoa powder, chili powder and dried oregano and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir in the beans, salt and pepper. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 2 ½ hours. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 423kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 773mg, Potassium: 955mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 530IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 94mg, Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.