Chipotle-Tomato Chili

This is a chili that proves two well-chosen ingredients beat a mile-long spice list. The first is a single chipotle in adobo — just one — which threads a deep, smoky heat through the whole pot without overwhelming it. The second is fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, whose charred edge doubles down on that smoke and gives the base a richness plain canned tomatoes can't. Everything else is honest, familiar chili — beef, beans, peppers, chili powder — but those two smoky elements are what make people slow down and notice. It's proof that "simple" and "memorable" aren't opposites; sometimes the most balanced bowl is the one that didn't try too hard.

All the usual suspects — cheese, sour cream, onion, avocado.

Start with one chipotle; they're potent, and you can always stir in a spoon of the adobo sauce for more smoke without more heat. Fire-roasted tomatoes are worth buying specifically here — they're half the point. Ground turkey subs cleanly.