Marja's Camp Chilli

The purpose of this recipe is to make a quick, flavorful chili, with little work. It has high protein for sustained energy, and no need for fresh or refrigerated ingredients like raw meat and onions. When you are staying at camp, camping out on the trail, or staying somewhere remote with no refrigerator, it's pretty hard to whip up a tasty meal without using any fresh ingredients. Canned products may fit the bill, but they just don't taste like mama used to make!


However, canned foods are portable, and they can be kept at camp for a very long time without worry of spoilage or attracting mice. So here's a way to fill up family or unexpected guests with a more "homemade" tasting chili than you can get from a basic can!

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What you'll need:

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Recipe ingredients:                                                     Recipe substitution ideas:

For this (mild) recipe, I use:
One large size can of Hormel Chili, the "No Beans" variety. Why? No beans chili has more meat, and that is what we are looking for here. 
If you can't find the large size can of no beans chili, two smaller cans work just fine, this recipe doesn't have to be exact!

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You can also substitute Hormel "Hot Chilli - No Beans" if you like spicy chili

Or you can substitute Hormel "Turkey Chilli - No Beans" if you don't eat beef.

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I use:
Two standard sized cans of diced tomatoes, with green pepper, celery & onion already in the can.

Don't drain these, (or anything else in this recipe) everything goes straight in the pot, directly from the can.

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You can also substitute two cans of diced tomatoes with just onions.


(Or you can use just plain ol' diced tomatoes, if you don't like the added green pepper, celery or onions.)

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I use: 3 standard size cans of light red kidney beans.

This is my favorite brand of kidney beans, but any old brand or generic will do!

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I also use 1 standard size can of dark red kidney beans. This helps add texture and flavor.


I love lots of beans in my chili!

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If you like a slightly sweet chili, or if you would normally add brown sugar to your homemade chili at home;

try this: Substitute 1 small can of Vegetarian Baked Beans in place of one of the cans of kidney beans. Or just add it straight to the pot for a lot of beans!

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Or, you can add 1 small can of Bush's Best "onion" flavor baked beans instead of the Vegetarian Baked Beans above. Bush's "Onion" flavor also adds extra onions, brown sugar and chunks of bacon to your chili!

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Optional ingredients:

I use one small can (6 ounces) of Contadina tomato paste when I have it on hand. When I add this paste, I'll also add about 12  ounces or so, of plain tap water to thin it out and add more juice to the chili. (12 ounces of tap water is measured by filling the used 6 ounce Contadina paste can twice and dumping it in. No need for measuring cups at camp!) If you like a thicker or more tomato-y chili, you might want to add this.

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There is no need to add any other seasonings to this chili, as all flavorings are in the cans. If some members of your family want to spice up the chili a little bit, airtight jars of salt, pepper and chili powder are cheap enough to keep on hand, and they last a long time in the camp pantry or in your saddle bags.

If you have mustard at camp, some people like that in their chili too. (There is no need to use mustard or brown sugar if you are adding Bush's baked beans to the chili, because it is already in there.)

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What you'll need to make this chili:
1 large can Hormel "No Beans" Chili (regular or spicy)
2 Standard Size Cans Diced Tomatoes (with onions in the can)
3 Cans "Light" Kidney Beans
1 Can "Dark Red" Kidney Beans

1 Small Can Bush's Baked Beans (Optional)

Other things you'll need:
A can opener!
A crockpot or large stovetop stockpot
Stirring spoon or ladle

Any other ingredients are optional. Dump all ingredients in a large crock pot, or stockpot. Do not drain anything! all juices must go in! You can add a little water if you like extra juice in your chili, but don't over do it.

This "camp" chili has a complex flavor, and for best taste results, you should simmer it on the stove or in a crockpot. Canned ingredients are fine to just heat and eat, but any chili always tastes better when simmered on a low heat for a long time! When you are making it at home... it tastes the very best taken from the refrigerator and reheated again the next day!

You can throw this chili in a crock pot all day while you are out enjoying the summer sun. Crock pot temperatures may vary, so just put it on hot enough to keep it around "eating temperature" not high enough to burn it (Some trial and error here.) Or when cooking on the stove top, you can bring it to a near boil (while stirring frequently) and then turn the flame down, and simmer on low, for as long as you can, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom and burning.

It serves 6-8 depending on how big your eaters are!