Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh morel mushrooms coarsely chopped (roughly ⅓ of a pound, although there’s no such thing as too many)2 pounds of ground beef (I really like stewing meat for this, too)3 tablespoons butter (or your oil of choice)1 onion, finely chopped3 cloves garlic, minced1 red bell pepper, diced1 green bell pepper, diced2 carrots, diced1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes3 cups vegetable broth1 tablespoon chili powder1 teaspoon paprika1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely chopped1 teaspoon fresh thyme, removed from stem1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)Salt and pepper to tasteShredded cheese (optional, for topping, smoked Gouda or aged cheddar are particularly nice here)Sour cream or Greek yogurt (optional for topping)
Directions
- Brown the beef in a frying pan, drain grease, and set it aside.Toss your butter, herbs, and mushrooms into a pot (I like to use a Dutch oven, but a good cast iron pot or stock pot is great, too).Sautee them on medium heat with a pinch of salt and pepper for a few minutes until everything smells amazing, and then toss in your onion and garlic and let it all cook together for a few minutes until the onions become translucent.Add your beef, peppers, and carrot, let it cook for a few more minutes for the flavor to muddle together, then stir in your stock, tomatoes, beans, and spices.Give it all a good stir, then let it all simmer on low heat for an hour or two. If you have a crock pot/slow cooker, put it all in there and let it mellow all afternoon. Salt and pepper to taste.Serve in big bowls with shredded cheese and sour cream if so inclined.
Here’s my favorite morel mushroom chili recipe – if you’re looking for some serious comfort food, look no further. Feel free to adapt this to your dining preferences and have fun working in different ingredients as you see fit (I have beef listed, but you can use whatever meat you most enjoy – this recipe is dynamite with wild game, and I think my all-time favorite mushroom chili recipe version was when we did this with elk — you can also go completely meat-free and work in your favorite proteins of choice.) I’m listing canned beans & tomatoes here for a standard quantity reference, but obviously, we celebrate homegrown, and if you dry/can/preserve your own, just use roughly the same amount.
Morel Mushroom Chili Recipe
- 2 cups fresh morel mushrooms coarsely chopped (roughly â…” of a pound, although there’s no such thing as too many)
- 2 pounds of ground beef (I really like stewing meat for this, too)
- Brown the beef in a frying pan, drain grease, and set it aside.
- Toss your butter, herbs, and mushrooms into a pot (I like to use a Dutch oven, but a good cast iron pot or stock pot is great, too).
- Sautee them on medium heat with a pinch of salt and pepper for a few minutes until everything smells amazing, and then toss in your onion and garlic and let it all cook together for a few minutes until the onions become translucent.
- Add your beef, peppers, and carrot, let it cook for a few more minutes for the flavor to muddle together, then stir in your stock, tomatoes, beans, and spices.
- Give it all a good stir, then let it all simmer on low heat for an hour or two. If you have a crock pot/slow cooker, put it all in there and let it mellow all afternoon. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve this morel mushroom chili in big bowls with shredded cheese and sour cream if so inclined.
