Cheesy Hash Brown Chili

If you like chili and you like cheesy, you are going to love this!! This is from Rachael Ray's Yum-O collection (her family-friendly recipes); I served it to my 7, 11, 13 year old cousins and they loved it! Definitely worth trying. I think it would also be a great hosting dish.

- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 lb ground beef
- salt and pepper
- 1 can red kidney beans (15 oz), drained and rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
- 1 bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (1 lb)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large saucepan, heat the EVOO over medium heat. Add the beeef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the onion, chili powder and cumin, and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Transfer to an 8x11 baking dish (or you can see from picture, I used only the one iron skillet for the entire process).

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and cheese. Scatter the potato mixture over the chili. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet until the potatoes are cooked through and the chili is bubbling, about 35 minutes.