Triple B chili

My husband's family has a tradition of chili and cornbread every year for Christmas Eve dinner. My mother-in-law's chili recipe is very traditional, but this year I was looking to change it up a little at our house. So I came up with the "Triple B" chili recipe:

Three Bean, Brown sugar & Bacon Chili

Because we were traveling on Christmas day, I wanted to make this chili as easy to make as possible, so a lot of the prep work is simply opening cans.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef (I used a can!)
• 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-15 oz can each of black beans, white beans and red beans of your choice (I used black beans, white navy beans and kidney beans)
• 1-14.5 to 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
• Salt, pepper, basil, cumin or other spices to taste
• 1/4 c brown sugar (or to taste)
• 1/2 lb bacon
• Toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, crackers, cornbread

1. Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic.

2. Add the beans and tomatoes. Simmer forever. Add salt, pepper and spices to taste

3. About 15 minutes before serving time, lay the bacon on a roasting pan. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar (stir remaining brown sugar to the chili. Feel free to add more for extra sweetness!). Broil the brown sugar bacon until sugar melts and bacon is crispy.

4. Chop or crumble the brown sugar bacon. Sprinkle on top of chili, and serve with other toppings.

I loved the combination of the salty crunch of bacon and sweetness of the brown sugar. It's also a great contrast in the chili itself too!

What's your favorite chili?