Time: 20 Minutes Prep, 1-6 hours cooking. Serves 4-6.

• 1 Pound 90% Lean Ground Beef
• 1 Medium Onion (Diced)
• 1 Medium Green Pepper (Diced)
• 3 Cloves Chopped Garlic
• 1 15.5 oz. Can Red Kidney Beans (Drained & Rinsed)
• 750 g Parmalat Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 8 oz. Can Tomato Sauce
• 1 6 oz. Can Tomato Paste
• 6 oz. Water
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Basil
• 2 tsp Oregano
• 1tsp Ground Cumin
• 1tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
• 1tsp Salt

Brown ground beef in skillet, drain and reserve liquid. Put ground beef into crock pot. Sauté pepper and onion in reserved liquid just until tender, add garlic and cook for one or two more minutes. Drain and add mixture to crock pot. Add tomato product, water, herbs, and spices with beef. The mixture will be very thick. Cook in crock pot on low for 4 to 6 hours stirring occasionally. After about 2 hours, add additional spices to taste. Serve with fresh bread. Optionally, garnish with shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese.

Notes:

1. Ground turkey can be substituted for ground beef. Some olive oil, butter or vegetable oil might be needed to sauté vegetables if beef is not used.
2. I prefer the Parmalat chopped tomatoes that come in the carton as opposed to canned tomatoes (Parmalat is much lower in sodium, and I think the consistency is better).
3. This recipe can be cooked on the stove as well. Increase the amount of water to loosen it up so it doesn’t burn, simmer for one to two hours stirring frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom.