My sister has been cooking her entire adult life. Her kids are grown and long gone, but they visit her frequently. She loves that they remain close to her and her husband, but there is a problem. Some of her adult children, their partners, and her grandchildren have special dietary needs. Some are vegetarians, others have gluten intolerance, and still others have issues with dairy.

Meal prep for Christmas is especially challenging, as some will arrive early and others late. This year for Christmas dinner, she went an untraditional route and made two giant pots of chili. One with ground beef and the other with Impossible Beef (synthetic beef). Not only was her choice a practical solution, but her family loved the results.

My sister used a recipe she found online from the YouTuber, “Clutterbug,” but I’ll just call it “Nancy’s chili.” It is the easiest chili recipe I have ever made, and when I served it to my family for a weekday dinner, they thought it was delicious, too.

Inflation and the Trump tariff taxes have made everything more expensive. This recipe is not only very economical but also very flexible, as you will see from the substitutions I made.

The following recipe fed three adults for dinner and there was enough left over for three lunches. Let’s check out the recipe.

Brown 1 pound of ground beef. I had a 1.5-pound package of ground turkey, so I used that.

Drain 1 can of corn and 1 can of black beans. I had a can of pinto beans, so I substituted those. However, my sister says that black beans are the best choice. You can use frozen corn if you wish.

Add a large jar (32 oz) of Marinara sauce to the ground meat. This jar is 32 ounces. If your jar is a bit smaller, go with that and add a little water.

Add the drained beans and corn.

I used these packets of taco and chili seasoning, and they worked well. My sister swears by the brand that she listed in the recipe above. She bought her chili seasoning on Amazon. These are from Aldi.

Add the taco and chili packets and mix in.

Cover, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer. Let this mixture cook for at least 30 minutes, longer if possible. You may want to give it a stir now and then. Low heat is critical as you want to blend the flavors, but you don’t want to burn the food to the bottom of the pan.

Here is the chili served. Any type of onion on top is a plus. I’m using shallots as I had a few, but a chopped regular onion or a green onion would also work. I added a little shredded cheese and some sour cream to fancy it up. Crackers (of any type) are nice. My mom always served oyster crackers with chili, but we had these Ritz-type crackers on hand, so I used those.

This chili was very thick and filling. If you like a thinner chili, just add some water to the pot. I made a lot of substitutions, but they were all using similar ingredients. For instance, I used ground turkey instead of ground beef and pinto beans instead of black beans. It is OK to do this, and the more you cook, the more comfortable you will become with substituting ingredients.

Many dishes involve similar basic steps, so once you master one dish, you will likely become more comfortable with cooking another.

Over time, I have stockpiled basic ingredients in my kitchen. For this chili, I already had everything I needed in my freezer and pantry. A great place to buy ingredients is Aldi, where spices, canned/frozen vegetables, and other items are reasonably priced.

Let’s say you are making a recipe that uses one can of crushed tomatoes. Just buy two and keep the other one on hand for a future meal. I always have items like tomato products, flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices on hand. Additionally, I have ground meats, chicken, and sometimes pork products in my freezer.

I use convenience products at times, for instance, the Kirkland Marinara sauce that I used in today’s recipe. I’ll always have a couple of cans of condensed cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup on hand. I understand they are not the healthiest products, but they make tossing a meal together simple. Just like the crushed tomato example, it is easy to pick up an extra can of this or that and build a mini stockpile of staple ingredients. I don’t want every mealtime to involve a trip to the grocery store, as that can be a hassle when making a real meal 5-7 times a week.

Remember, last night’s dinner can easily become today’s lunch. I almost always did this when I was working, and my son has picked up the same habit. Another alternative is what one of my daughters does. She makes a dinner for 4, divides it into 4 meals, and has dinner prepared for most of the week. Another daughter has a routine with her breakfasts, often preparing 3-4 easy ones at once. These simple practices can dramatically reduce your cooking while still saving money. Since I cook for multiple people, I’m a bit less regimented. However, we always seem to have leftovers that are consumed one way or another over the next few days.

My son took some of the chili to school for lunch. I had a bowl for lunch yesterday, and I’ll eat the rest today. Think about that, three dinners and three lunches, all with one super easy meal prep. Also, look at the cost savings. Let’s assume a very reasonable $12 per meal if purchased at a restaurant or fast-food joint. Twelve dollars multiplied by six meals equals seventy-two dollars. That doesn’t count tax or tip, and let’s be honest, you can’t even buy a value meal at McDonald’s for $12 in 2026.

I couldn’t find the Costco prices on the ingredient list, so I searched for items on the Aldi site. To make this chili using Aldi ingredients, the total cost would be $9.43, or $1.57 per meal (not counting toppings). If we assume a $12 restaurant/fast-food meal, we are looking at more than 700% savings!

I know financial times are rough, but there are things that we can do to reduce costs. One of the easiest ones is to cook at home.

Peace

Mike