I have a friend who doesn’t cook. I don’t know if she doesn’t cook because doesn’t like to, or because she feels she can’t. Either way, I don’t know how much “cooking” is involved in making a pot of chili. Added bonus: you can make a ton at once and then freeze it on manageable portions.

My recipe wouldn’t pass muster at any real chili cookoff. I rarely use meat, and then it’s ground and usually not from a four-legged creature. I use multiple kinds of beans and add non-traditional vegetables to it. Maybe I should just call it bean stew with Tex-Mex spices. Whatever. It’s still easy, filling, warming, and healthy. And should you like, you can make it unhealthy by adding gobs of grated sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream on top. Something for everyone, eh?

If you are using canned beans, use two lightly drained large cans of kidney beans and two lightly drained cans of black beans. I usually add some garbanzo beans, too, because my son likes them. If you are soaking and cooking your beans fresh, you want a total of about six cups of beans when they are cooked.

Other ingredients:

A large onion, chopped. You can use a red onion, but it turns an ugly color when cooked, so I use a yellow or white onion.

2 large cans of fire roasted (or plain) tomatoes, chopped, crushed, or whole. Whole usually are a better quality. If you add them, crush them in your hand or chop them with kitchen shears before you add them.

A handful of fresh cherry tomatoes

3 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds. Cut any really large rounds in half

2 ribs celery washed and sliced

* If you want to be fancy, make the dice of your onions, carrots and celery all about the same time

1 small can or two of sliced ripe black olives

1 finely minced fresh jalapeno pepper (optional — more if you like it)

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1 teaspoon of cumin

as much cayenne pepper as you want — start small (1/8 teaspoon), then taste and add.

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

*These last two are weirdo ingredients, like the carrots and olives, but I like it like this. Leave it out if you don’t. I’ve toyed with adding some cocoa, too, but haven’t done that yet. And I know people who add instant coffee powder, too. If you experiment like this, do tell me how it turns out.

salt to taste

Now, you can dump all this in a pot or slow cooker and let it cook on medium for an hour (or all day in a slow cooker) and taste it for salt and spiciness. Me? I like to saute the onions and spices first in some oil. I like the onions to carmelize a little; add the spices and let them bloom a little; add in the celery and carrots, saute a minute; then add the tomatoes and beans.

If you are using meat, add it right after the onions and before the spices and cook ground meat through before moving on to the next step. If you are adding something like cubed beef, then just brown it on all sides before moving along.

When it’s cooked through and tastes good to you, you can stir in some chopped fresh cilantro (or Italian parsley if you don’t like cilantro). Dish it up and sprinkle with cheese, a dollop of sour cream, some chopped red onions. Serve with tortillas or baked tortilla chips. Serve it over rice or chopped steamed baby potatoes.

Consider serving with Beano, especially if you’re eating with my husband.

Freeze what you don’t eat.

You can live on this stuff. I know: in college my cousin paid me to cook for him five nights a week. All he wanted was my chili. I’d make a week’s worth every Sunday and he’d take me out to dinner. He was a competitive swimmer. It kept him going.