If you keep canned beans, tomatoes, onion and garlic in your pantry, you can make this dish on any weeknight without having to shop. The pickled onions aren’t strictly necessary, but they are simple to make and add a welcome tangy contrast to the beans. Pickled peppers are a fine substitute. If you have a bell pepper or jalapeño or two, chop them up and sauté them with the onions. And if you want to be fancy, grate the zest off the lime before juicing for the pickles, and stir it into the sour cream.

Ingredients

Pickled Onions:

• 1 lime
• 1 red onion or shallot, thinly sliced
• Large pinch of kosher salt
• Small pinch of granulated sugar

Chili

• Olive or grapeseed oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, or to taste, minced
• 1 teaspoon chile powder, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, plus more to taste
• 2 (15-ounce) cans beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices
• Kosher salt
• Fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sour cream

Instructions

1. Make the pickled onions: Squeeze lime juice into a bowl, and add onion, salt and sugar. Let rest while you make the chili.
2. Prepare the chili: Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the oil. When hot, add onion and sauté until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, chile powder and oregano and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add beans and tomatoes and a few large pinches of salt and let simmer until the tomatoes break down, about 20 minutes.