Roast Remake: Quick Texas Chili

My leftover pot roast from Sunday night became a quick and delicious dinner later in the week, thanks to my new America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two cookbook. I LOVE the "One Big Roast, Three Great Meals" chapter (even though my big roast only yielded two great meals!). The three recipes they suggested to use up your leftover pot roast were Quick Texas Chili, Beef Enchiladas, and Beef Hand Pies. All three sounded amazing and it was tough to choose, so I just decided to make my way down the list and cook the chili first.

I already have a favorite chili recipe which, coincidentally, I made the day before I cooked my last pot roast! That recipes calls for ground beef, but occasionally I like a good chunky chili like this one. So now I have two chilis in rotation!

Quick Texas Chili
Ingredients:
3 slices bacon, minced
1 small onion, chopped medium
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon minced chipotle chili in adobo
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
7 1/2 oz. cooked beef, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
Grated pepper jack cheese, for topping

Directions:
Cook bacon in medium saucepan over medium-low heat until crsip and rendered, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion, chili powder, chipotles, cumin, and oregano and cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in broth, tomato sauce, and beans (which I couldn't add because Bill would have freaked out), bring to simmer, and cook until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Gently stir in beef and brown sugar and continue to simmer until beef is heated through, about 2 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in lime juice (I skipped this step because after tasting it I didn't think it needed the tartness lime juice would provide), season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve (with pepper jack cheese on top!).


My one and only complaint about this recipe is that it's a bit tomato-y. I think I may have thrown in more tomato sauce than the recipe called for because my can was larger than 8 ounces and I didn't know what to do with the leftovers. I suppose that could explain the too-much tomato, but I also feel like this chili is calling out for some worchestershire or soy sauce, which would make it a bit bolder and less sweet.

Bill didn't really care for this dish (yeah, he's pretty honest about my cooking), but I think I might be able to sway him if I adjust it slightly.