Description
Hearty and flavorful Slow-Cooker Chili made with lean ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, and a rich blend of spices, perfect for a comforting meal with optional tasty toppings.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
- 2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 1 medium green pepper, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Optional Toppings
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sliced green onions
- Chopped red onion
- Sliced jalapeno peppers
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Cook the beef: In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring and breaking it into crumbles until no longer pink. Drain the excess fat.
- Transfer to slow cooker: Place the cooked beef into a 5-quart slow cooker. Add the rinsed kidney beans, diced tomatoes with their juice, tomato sauce, chopped onions, chopped green pepper, minced garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Cook the chili: Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 8 hours to allow the flavors to meld and the chili to thicken properly.
- Serve with toppings: Once cooked, serve the chili hot with optional toppings such as shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, chopped red onion, sliced jalapenos, and a dollop of sour cream as desired.
Notes
- Drain excess fat from the beef to reduce grease and improve chili flavor.
- For a spicier chili, add extra chili powder or jalapeno peppers during cooking.
- Kidney beans can be substituted with black beans or pinto beans for variety.
- Leftover chili tastes great the next day and can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.
- If short on time, excess cooking can be cut by cooking on high for 4-5 hours instead of low for 8 hours, though low and slow develops better flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
