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–+ servings
Crusty bread dipped into chili con carne with cheddar and sour cream.

Slow Cooker Chili with Ground Beef and Beans

Andréa
Ground beef goes in raw, straight over the vegetables — no browning, no extra pan. Five hours on low turns it fall-apart tender, and the kidney beans and brown beans stay firm because they go in during the last 30 minutes instead of cooking the whole time.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 40 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican - Tex Mex, South America
Servings 4 persons
Calories 667 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 2 onions finely chopped
  • 1 carrot diced small
  • 2 stalks celery diced small
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 4 tablespoons chili seasoning mix
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 5 tablespoons water
  • 28 ounces diced tomatoes or tomato pulp
  • 1 beef stock cube crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
  • 14 ounces kidney beans drained
  • 14 ounces brown beans drained, or pinto beans
  • salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic

Instructions
 

  • Add the onions, diced carrot, diced celery and garlic to the slow cooker.
    2 onions, 1 carrot, 2 stalks celery, 3 cloves garlic
  • Spread the ground beef over the vegetables. Break it apart as much as possible so it cooks in small pieces. Add the tomato paste and chili seasoning mix.
    1 pound ground beef, ¼ cup tomato paste, 4 tablespoons chili seasoning mix
  • Pour in the Worcestershire sauce and water.
    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 5 tablespoons water
  • Add the diced tomatoes, crumbled beef bouillon cube and dark brown sugar. Stir well.
    28 ounces diced tomatoes, 1 beef stock cube, 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
  • Put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook the chili on Low for 5 hours. Try not to lift the lid while it cooks. Every quick peek lets out heat and adds to the cooking time.
  • Stir the drained kidney beans and brown beans into the chili. Put the lid back on and cook on Low for another 30 minutes. Is the chili a little thin? Cook it uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes.
    14 ounces kidney beans, 14 ounces brown beans
  • Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
    salt and pepper

NOTES

1. Homemade chili seasoning mix: I use my homemade chili seasoning mix for this recipe. It gives the chili a warm, spiced flavor. Use 4 level tablespoons. Using another mix? Start with less. The seasoning, heat, and amount of salt can vary quite a bit.
2. What size slow cooker do you need? Use a slow cooker with a capacity of at least 3.5 qt (liters). It will be quite full with this amount. A smaller model does not leave enough room for the chili to simmer without reaching the lid.
3. Vegetables with a little bite: After 5 hours on Low, the small pieces of carrot and celery will still have some bite. Cut them to about the same size so they cook evenly.
  • Want them softer? Cook the vegetables in a skillet for 8 to 10 minutes before adding them. This will give the chili a softer texture.
4. How to control the heat: Most of the heat comes from the chili seasoning mix. Taste the chili at the end, then add chili flakes if needed. Let it heat through for another 5 minutes. This lets you increase the heat a little at a time.
5. Is the chili too thin? After adding the beans, continue cooking the chili without the lid. Set the slow cooker to High and stir from time to time. It is ready when the sauce stays thick around the meat and beans.
6. Using different beans: You can replace the kidney beans or brown beans with black beans and pinto beans. Use about the same drained amount. Briefly rinse beans packed in thick or salty canning liquid. The flavor will be a little different, but the chili will stay thick.
7. Storage
  • Refrigerator: You can make the chili one day ahead. Cool it quickly, cover it, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Freezer:
  • Freeze the cooled chili for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat it slowly.
  • Reheating: Reheat while stirring until it is hot all the way through. Has the sauce become too thick? Add a small splash of water.

Nutrition

Calories: 667kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 561mg | Fiber: 23g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 6625IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Iron: 12mg
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