At least once a year, no matter where I am living, I have a chili day. I always pick a gloomy, cold day and make it my goal to create a warm atmosphere from the kitchen. My man makes his cornbread from scratch and I make a big batch of chili. Using my mom’s old recipe, I created my own version of this chili that can easily be made in a crockpot (for those of you who have better things to do than stand in a kitchen all day).
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs of ground beef (you could also use ground turkey, ground chicken, OR a mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage)
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 jalapeño (diced)
- 2 (16 oz) cans of tomato sauce
- 1 (16 oz) can of diced tomatoes
- 1 (16 oz) can of light red kidney beans
- 1 (16oz. can of dark red kidney beans OR black beans
- 1 cup of water (or 1/2 water, 1/2 chicken broth)
- 1 tbs chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp orgeano
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Toppings options: greek yogurt, diced jalapeño, shredded cheese, hot sauce, scallions
Instructions
- In a large pan, brown the meat with the onions, peppers, and spices
- Drain the grease from the pan, and put the mixture into the crockpot
- Add the remaining ingredients
- Add a touch more of each spice + herbs
- If you want, add a dash of red wine to increase the complexity of the flavors
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until reduced and noticeably thickened (you may want to stir it every hour or so)
This is the Cuisinart Crockpot that I use and I LOVE it! Easy to program and cooks evenly: click here to check it out!
for another one of my favorite crockpot recipes, click here for my Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip!
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