While sitting around “enjoying” a gray day in Northern Minnesota, and feeling somewhat unmotivated, I knew I needed to make something for supper, but didn’t want to go out to the store for anything. So, I gathered up some ingredients I had on hand and came up with this perfectly warming soup for a chilly day!
Kickin’ Fusion Chili
Ingredients
Instructions
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Infuse the broth
Bring the broth and Rotel to a simmer over medium-high heat and then add in the garlic and all of the dry seasonings. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
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Cook the Pasta
Add your 1 cup of penne directly into the simmering broth. Since it's a smaller amount of pasta, it will cook perfectly in the broth and release some natural starches. Simmer for around 8 minutes.
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Add the Heart
Once the pasta is nearly tender (about 8 minutes), stir in the cannellini beans and the salsa.
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The Meltdown
Turn the heat to low. Add the cubed Queso Blanco. Stir constantly until the cheese is completely melted and the broth is creamy.
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Thicken to Perfection
If you want it heartier and less "soupy," whisk your potato starch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Slowly pour the slurry into the pot while stirring. It will thicken up almost instantly into a rich, glossy sauce.
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Serve
This will be incredibly rich, especially if you're using homemade broth!
Note
I specifically created this recipe with things I had on hand. If I were to plan to make this, I would definitely saute some diced onion, and maybe even add some fresh diced jalapeno to it. Other add-ins that I think would be delicious would be leftover chicken (like rotisserie chicken), chorizo, etc. Make it your own, and let me know how it turned out or what other ideas you have to level this up!
