The Best Harvest Chili Recipe

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I remember the first time I made this chili. I was a new homemaker trying to figure out how to feed myself and my husband in a simple, nourishing way that we both enjoyed.  This was more challenging than I ever thought it would be.  Amidst my Pinterest scrolling and googling for recipes my grandma’s chili recipe came to mind.  

My parents used to make this chili together on cold winter weekends and we’d enjoy it all week.  I remember heading to the grocery store the first time I planned to make my grandma’s chili. I had a picture of my mom’s hand written recipe card on my phone. I stood in the aisles for what felt like hours trying to decipher the recipe and find the right canned goods.  Was it stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes?  Did I really need this many cans of beans?  Did she use tomato sauce or tomato soup?

When I finally checked out and did my arm work out for the week getting all the bags into my car I was so tired and a little discouraged.  It felt like so much to buy and so many cans to get rid of after the chili was made. As I started learning more about cooking from scratch I realized I could adapt my grandma’s chili recipe into a harvest style recipe that used all fresh ingredients.

I first made my harvest version of my grandma’s chili recipe for Joe and got the thumbs up. This will always stick out in my mind as a day where I really felt like I was making it as a wife and a homemaker. 

This chili is a great meal to start with if you aspire to make meals from scratch. It’s especially great if you want to use fresh, local ingredients. It can be easily frozen and readily enjoyed.

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