1. PUREE TOMATOES: Pulse tomatoes and their juice in food processor until slightly chunky, about 5 pulses.
2. HEAT TOMATOES WITH BEANS: Bring tomatoes, beans, chipotle chile, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil, covered, in large saucepan. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook until needed in step 5.
3. SAUTÉ AROMATICS: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, chili powder, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. COMBINE AND SIMMER: Stir in tomato-bean mixture, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
5. FINISH CHILI: Stir in corn and cilantro and return to brief simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes:
Target (east Pas) sells the chipotles in adobo sauce. You use so little I end up freezing the rest of the can for later use.
To make this more kid friendly:
Use only 1 TBS of chili powder or less. I used 2 TBS chili powder on this night.
Omit the chipotles from the main pot and only add them to your individual bowls. I feel the chipotles add a lot of the flavor and you don't want to miss out on them, so this is a good compromise.
Meat Option:
Add 1/2 a package of TJ's shredded BBQ chicken (precooked and by the cheese) or BBQ brisket/beef. I've done both to use leftovers and it added a nice sweetness to the chili.
