Black lentils make a welcome change from the usual pinto beans found in most chili. This chili is also made with dried red chili pods for extra flavor.
Sometimes the usual stuff gets boring. Beans in chili can get boring. It’s not that I don’t like them – I do, it’s just that I wanted something different. I also like lentils. Black lentils are my favorite because they hold their shape a little better than red or green lentils. They also have a more nutty flavor.
Chilis for Black Lentil Chili
I like using dried California chili pods for this. They give a lot of flavors plus a little texture. Preparing them is pretty simple, too. Just put them in a bowl covered with water and some kind of weight to hold them down. They’re ready in about an hour. Don’t throw away that water either because it also has lots of complex flavors.
The Black Beluga Lentils
Finding black lentils is sometimes difficult. I have found them in the Mediterranean and other international stores. Of course, like everything else, *black beluga lentils are available on Amazon. Their wonderful nutty flavor goes very well in salads, too. Lentils cook quickly, so you don’t have to use an Instant Pot, although it does speed things up a bit.
Chili Grind Beef
Chili grind is thicker and meatier than the regular grind, and it’s wonderful for chili. When I made this, I ground my own meat using my Kitchen Aid *Metal Food Meat Grinder attachment. Grinding your own meat saves you money because you can get a chuck roast and grind it up for less than ground beef and you are only dealing with one muscle from one animal instead of many muscles from up to 200 animals. If you don’t have a grinder attachment, you can also use a food processor.
Email Me the Recipe
Black Red Lentil Chili with Beef
Equipment
If you purchase any of the products through these affiliate links, I get a few pennies that help keep The Good Plate open. I use these products myself and want you to be able to easily find them.
Ingredients
~~ — For the Chilis — ~~
- 4 Dried California Chili Pods
- 2 quarts Water
- 1 teaspoon *Beef base
~~ — For the Lentils — ~~
- ½ pound Black lentils
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 Bay leaf
~~ — For the Chili — ~~
- 1 tablespoon *Olive oil
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1 clove Garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne
- 1 pound Ground beef
- 1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
- 1 tablespoon Red pepper sauce
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Cornmeal
Instructions
- Mis En Place
Prepare the Chilis
- 4 Dried California Chili Pods, 2 quarts Water, 1 teaspoon Beef baseHeat a cup of water and add the beef base to it. Stir thoroughly, then put the chilis in the broth. Be careful. Put another bowl with something heavy on it so they can soak covered. Soak for one hour. Remove from water, straining and reserving the water. Discard stems and most seeds, then put them into a small food processor and process into a paste. Set aside.
For the Lentils
- 1/2 pound Black lentils, 1 clove Garlic, 1 Bay leafPut the lentils, broth, bay leaf, and broken up pieces of garlic in the pressure cooker. Cook on high for 6 minutes and use the quick release. Set aside.
For the Chili
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil, 1 Onion, 1 clove Garlic, 2 tablespoon Cumin, 1 teaspoon Cayenne, 1 pound Ground beefPut olive oil in a dutch oven and saute the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the cumin and cayenne and mix thoroughly. Don’t let it burn! Add the ground beef and brown it.
- 1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoesUsing your hands, break the whole tomatoes up and put them in the pot with the ground beef. Add the juice in the can, too.
- Add the reserved chilis and their juice.
- 1 tablespoon Red pepper sauceAdd the red pepper sauce.
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustardAdd the yellow mustard.
- Taste for seasoning.
- 1 tablespoon CornmealLower the heat and let it simmer for about an hour or until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the cornmeal and stir until thickened. Add the lentils and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until it”s all hot and tasty.
