Super Bowl Chili

This chili recipe can be made into an excellent vegetarian chili by omitting the ground beef. It is packed with tons of delicious vegetables!

Yields 10 servings.

2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 carrot, chopped
1 fresh hot green jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound dried lentils, rinsed
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 fifteen-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 twenty-eight-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1/3 cup chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

Brown ground beef in a skillet and set aside.

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, both peppers, carrots, jalapeno, and garlic. Stir and allow to cook until soft. Add remaining ingredients into pot. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and simmer for 45 minutes or until lentils have softened.

If your chili starts to dry out, add water as needed. If there is ever to much water, simply allow your chili to simmer without the lid until the stew is thickened.

Serve.