The Italian Leftovers You Can Use For A Delicious Chili In Half The Time

You could definitely call us chili lovers – our recipe for spicy, savory turkey chili is a straight banger in constant rotation — but, sometimes, we want all the delicious, nuanced flavors of chili ASAP. We're here to tell you that we've found a delicious shortcut to meaty, filling chili in a fraction of the time, and it involves your pasta dinner leftovers. (Thank you, social media!) You know how you whipped up a whole bucket of bolognese sauce for your spaghetti last night? With tomato sauce, onions, and spices, you are already most of the way to chili ... you just need to add a few key ingredients and let the pot simmer. Et voilà!: chili in less than twenty minutes.

We're not here to reignite the contentious beans in chili debate, but we'll simply say that, if you like them, you can add a can or more right off the bat. If simplicity is what you're going for, some good chili powder and cumin might just be enough to completely transform your sauce. But you don't need to stop there. We previously ran down the list of the best unique ingredients to add to chili, and just about every single one will play equally well in your bolognese base. Some will add dark chocolate for bitterness, brown sugar for sweetness, or lots of chilis cooked in oil for that fiery kick that's prized by lovers of spicy chili. Whatever suits your fancy, just stir it into your pot of bolognese and warm everything thoroughly on your stovetop burner. It's quick, effortless, and, most of all, delicious.

Weeknight dinners are always a push-pull dilemma between satiety and convenience. After a long day, having to cook a full dinner when energy is low and the evening schedule is booked solid, it can be downright impossible. That's why we love our chili with leftover bolognese sauce — it comes together super quickly, first of all, but it's also incredibly versatile for whipping up filling dinners with minimal extra work.

If you have a rice cooker, you can plan in advance to have a pot of rice ready to go when you need dinner on the table. Chili over rice is nourishing and hearty, but you can also bring noodles into play, just make a couple boxes of mac and cheese for chili mac! If your local supermarket has a respectable cornbread in the bakery, you can cut wedges to dip into your bowls of chili, although throwing together a few boxes of Jiffy isn't much work at all. As a bonus, your "leftover" leftover chili will taste delicious in another format tomorrow night (maybe sloppy joes?) — this is a gift that keeps on giving when it comes to quick meals that will fill you up and put smiles on your family's faces.