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When I’m in the mood for a quick chili, this is my go-to recipe.

It’s your basic, spicy, beef-and-bean extravaganza with two big twists: a can of cream-style corn and a 46-ounce container of V8®. Those two ingredients give each other a superhero-style fist-bump and provide a shortcut that eliminates hours of simmering. You don’t need stock or even canned tomatoes. Just brown your beef and onion; add seasonings, beans and V8®; simmer and stir in the corn.

Thirty minutes later, you’ll have a bowl of chili that’s tasty, contains actual servings of multiple vegetables (well-hidden vegetables) and won’t sit in your gut and torture your digestive system for the next five hours. Namaste!

Beef, Bean and Corn Chili

Adapted From Taste of Home’s “Big Book of Soup”

Yield: 14 to 16 servings (4 quarts)

  • 2 pounds ground beef (or sirloin)
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 envelope chili seasoning mix
  • 3 to 4 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) chili beans, undrained
  • 1 container (46 ounces) V8® juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 can (16 ounces) cream-style corn
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Frank’s Hot Sauce, to taste
  1. In a 5-quart kettle or Dutch oven, brown beef and onion.
  2. Stir in seasoning mix, beans, V8® juice and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
  3. Stir in corn. Cook and stir over low heat for 15 minutes. Garnish with cheese.

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