Slow Cooker Beef & Bean Chili | The Grounded Kitchen

Chili is one of those meals that doesn't need much fuss to be good. Ground beef, beans, tomatoes and onion form the foundation. Add a few basic seasonings, let everything simmer together in the slow cooker, and you end up with a hearty meal that tastes like you spent much more time making it than you actually did. This is an everyday chili rather than a competition chili. It's not trying to be complicated or overly spicy. It's the kind of recipe you can make on a weeknight, adjust to what you have in the cupboard and serve with whatever toppings are in the refrigerator. Don't have everything on the ingredient list? No problem. See the notes below for simple swaps, substitutions and ingredients you can leave out altogether. Recipe Details Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 4–6 hours on Low Servings: 5–6 Difficulty: Easy Ingredients 1½ lb (680 g) lean ground beef 1 large onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 red or green bell pepper, diced, optional 2 tbsp chili powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp paprika ½ tsp black pepper 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste 1 can (28 oz / 796 mL) diced tomatoes 1 can (14 oz / 398 mL) tomato sauce 2 cans (19 oz / 540 mL each) kidney beans or mixed beans, drained and rinsed 1 tbsp (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce, optional 1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste, optional ½ cup (125 mL) water or beef broth, if needed Instructions 1. Brown the Beef Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Drain excess fat if necessary. You don't need to cook the beef until it's completely dry. Just make sure it is thoroughly cooked before transferring it to the slow cooker. 2. Add the Onion and Garlic Add the onion and bell pepper, if using, to the skillet. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. If you're in a hurry, skip sautéing the vegetables and add the raw onion, garlic and optional bell pepper directly to the slow cooker with the browned beef. Browning the beef remains part of this recipe; sautéing the vegetables simply adds a little more depth. 3. Build the Chili Transfer the beef mixture to the slow cooker. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper and salt. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste if using. Stir everything together. If the mixture looks unusually thick, add up to ½ cup (125 mL) water or beef broth. 4. Slow Cook Cover and cook on Low for 4–6 hours. The extra time allows the flavours to come together and the vegetables to soften. Give it a stir near the end if you're around. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving. If the chili is thinner than you'd like, mash a few of the beans into the cooking liquid, or transfer some chili to a saucepan and simmer uncovered until thickened. Grounded Kitchen Secret Chili usually gets better with a little time, but it doesn't need to cook all day. Because the beef is already cooked and the beans and tomatoes are ready to eat, you're really using the slow cooker to bring everything together. That's why 4–6 hours on Low is enough. And don't worry if your chili looks a little loose when you first put it together. The beans will absorb some of the liquid as they sit, and the chili will thicken further as it cools. What If I Don't Have…? Ground beef: Ground turkey, chicken or pork will work; cook it thoroughly before adding it. You can also use leftover cooked beef. Reheat it separately until thoroughly hot, then stir it into the finished chili. Kidney beans: Use canned black beans, pinto beans, navy beans or a mixed-bean combination. Two cans of beans: Use one large can if that's what you have. The chili will simply be meatier. Bell pepper: Leave it out. Chili doesn't need peppers to be good. Tomato sauce: Use another can of diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes or passata. Fresh garlic: ½ tsp garlic powder can be used instead. Worcestershire sauce: Leave it out or use a small splash of soy sauce. Tomato paste: Optional. It adds richness but isn't essential. Cumin: Leave it out if you don't have it. The chili will still work. Paprika: Leave it out or substitute smoked paprika if you have it. Chili powder: This is the one ingredient I wouldn't leave out completely, since it provides most of the characteristic chili flavour. If you like a milder chili, simply reduce the amount. How Spicy Should It Be? That's completely up to you. This version is intentionally mild to medium rather than hot. For a hotter chili, add ¼–½ tsp cayenne pepper, a chopped jalapeño or some hot sauce. For a very mild family-friendly version, use a mild chili powder and leave out the cayenne and hot peppers. Remember that you can always add heat at the table. It's much harder to take it away. Make It Your Own This is where chili becomes particularly useful as an everyday recipe. Add a cup of frozen corn during the final 30 minutes. Stir in a small can of green chilies if you have them. Add chopped zucchini or mushrooms. Use a mixture of beans. For a richer chili, add 1 oz (28 g) of chopped dark chocolate during the final 30 minutes. You won't taste chocolate as such; it simply adds depth. This is completely optional. If you have leftover cooked vegetables in the refrigerator, reheat them separately until thoroughly hot and stir them into the finished chili. What to Serve With Chili You don't need much. Chili is excellent with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, chopped green onion, avocado or fresh cilantro. Cornbread, crusty bread, tortilla chips or crackers are all good alongside it. And if you have leftover chili, it can become dinner again in a completely different way. Spoon it over baked potatoes, use it for nachos, serve it over rice or turn it into a quick chili-and-cheese bowl. A Note About Dried Beans For this recipe, we're deliberately using canned beans. Do not substitute raw dried kidney beans directly into a slow cooker. Some varieties of dried kidney beans contain naturally occurring lectins that need proper boiling to be safely reduced. If you prefer to cook dried beans yourself, cook them completely using a safe method before adding them to the chili. Canned beans keep this recipe simple, and that's exactly what we're after here. Make-Ahead & Storage Chili is one of those meals that often tastes even better the next day. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of water or broth if it has become very thick. Chili also freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool promptly in shallow containers before freezing, and leave a little room in the container for expansion. From the Grounded Kitchen There is a reason chili has become such a reliable home-cooked meal. It doesn't require expensive ingredients, complicated techniques or perfect measurements. It can change depending on what's in the cupboard, how spicy you like it and what needs using up in the refrigerator. That's exactly the kind of cooking we like at The Grounded Kitchen. Start with the basics. Use what you have. Change it when you need to. The goal isn't to make the perfect chili. It's to make a good dinner.

Item added to your cart

Member Access Only

Country/region

Language

Member Access Only