Cajun Chili — The Brown Kind, The Always Kind

Mardi Gras 2020. The beignets, the king cake, the parade. The last normal week, though we didn't know it was the last normal week. Nobody ever knows when the last normal week is happening. You only see it afterward, the way you only see the waterline after the flood — the mark on the wall that says "here is where the water was, and here is where it wasn't, and everything below this line changed."

We made beignets. All three kids. Colette ran the operation, as always. Luc participated more willingly this year — fifteen and finally old enough to admit that making beignets with his family is not beneath him, which is growth, and which I attribute to Mia's influence because Mia told him "your family sounds fun," and nothing changes a teenager's attitude about their family faster than a girlfriend's approval. Rémy covered himself in powdered sugar. Standard. Expected. Delightful.

The parade. The beads. The noise. Rémy in his crawfish claws — yes, still, five years of crawfish claws, and if you think I'm going to be the one to tell him to stop, you don't know me. The claws are held together by duct tape and prayers now, more prosthetic than costume, and he wears them with the dignity of a knight wearing armor. He is a crawfish. He has always been a crawfish. The crawfish endures.

Made jambalaya for Mardi Gras dinner. The brown kind. The always kind. And after the jambalaya and the beignets and the king cake and the parade and the beads and the noise, we sat on the porch — all five of us, which doesn't happen often anymore because Luc is usually in his room and Colette is usually at the kitchen table drawing — and we watched the neighborhood quiet down, and Danielle said, "Good day," and I said, "Oui," and it was. It was a good day. The last good day before the world changed, though we didn't know it yet. The last day below the waterline.

The jambalaya that night was the brown kind — the always kind — and I’ve made it so many times I don’t really follow a recipe anymore, which means I can’t give you the one I made. What I can give you is this Cajun Chili, which lives in the same spirit: bold and warm and unapologetically Louisiana, the sort of thing you make when you want a pot on the stove that smells like a good day is coming. It’s the recipe I reach for when I want to carry that porch feeling forward — all five of us, the neighborhood going quiet, a bowl in hand, knowing somewhere in your bones that this is the right kind of evening even before you can name why.

Cajun Chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Hot sauce, for serving
• Sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and no pink remains, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
2. Sauté the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium. Add diced onion and bell pepper to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
3. Add seasoning. Stir in Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, thyme, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Toast the spices with the beef and vegetables for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Build the chili. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, and kidney beans. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
5. Simmer. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chili has thickened and the flavors have melded.
6. Taste and adjust. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt, cayenne, or Cajun seasoning as desired. Serve hot, topped with sliced green onions and a dash of hot sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 6g | Sodium: 720mg