Chili con carne

A pot of chili on Sunday is four lunches that get better as they wait, as the spices have time to blend. Ground beef or cubed chuck, beans, tomatoes and dried chiles reheat without losing anything, and a thick chili travels in a leak-proof container better than most soups. It is also among the easiest dishes here to scale: eight portions take barely more work than four. A big pot cools slowly, though, so ladle it into shallow containers before refrigerating. Keep cheese, scallions and sour cream separate, and pack cornbread or tortilla chips for crunch. With both meat and beans, it is one of the most filling lunches on the list.