Angely
I’ve spent 3 years trying to master the perfect beef chili recipe and I finally made the best dang slow cooker chili ever! I’ve tried so many different chili recipes and none of them excited me. Finally after acquiring my mother in law’s chili recipe I had a great foundation and from there I just built up the flavors. You guys should know by now that I like very simplified cooking so when I figured out how to use my instant pot/ninja foodi to sear and then cook my chili on the SLOW COOK setting it was like a choir of angels singing. I’ve made this for a regular slow cooker as well as an instant pot or ninja foodi. A one pot meal that requires minimal preparation and mostly just dumping cans and spices into the slow cooker, let’s go!
I am on a quest to make the best vegetarian chili imaginable that is so simple that anyone could make it. BUT, in order to make the best meatless version, I had to start by making the best beef chili first. Here I am waiting for my next local chili cookoff in Ohio to go up against some worthy opponents because I’m ready for my chili to be crowned a winner. 👑
Chili, the first stepping stone to eating healthier
I don’t encourage eating red meat, especially with the impact that cows have on our environment, but I do encourage eating as many beans as possible to eat healthier. And I find that most Americans (especially us Midwesterners) love chili so much and we don’t even realize how many beans and veggies we are eating. We go back for seconds and the next day it tastes even better as leftovers. I used to think that health food was all avocado toasts and salads but there are some great American comfort foods that provide us with veggies and legumes and they’re right in front of us.
I am completely for more plant based eating but I am also here for the people who aren’t ready to give up meat but want to eat more veggies and beans in general WITHOUT sacrificing flavor.
Ingredients
fresh ingredients:
- olive oil
- yellow onion
- large garlic cloves
- 1 lb of ground beef (I use 80% lean or 73% lean) OR 12 oz of Impossible Plant Based Burger
canned goods:
- 1 (16 oz) Bush’s Best Chili Beans (red beans or kidney beans) Mild Chili Sauce Flavor
- canned black beans
- canned dark red kidney beans
- canned stewed tomatoes
- canned diced tomatoes (chili ready or chili flavored if you can find it, if you can’t just use regular diced tomatoes)
- canned tomato sauce
spices
- ancho chili powder
- cumin
- paprika
- baking cocoa, unsweetened
- chipotle powder
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- bay leaves
Best Dang Slow Cooker Chili
Enjoy the best chili I’ve ever made in my life!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 5–6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker, Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Diabetic
Ingredients
fresh ingredients:
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced (use a zester/grater if you can!)
- 1 lb of ground beef (I use 80% lean or 73% lean) OR 12oz impossible plant-based burger for vegan option
canned goods:
- 1 (16 oz) Bush’s Best Chili Beans (red beans or kidney beans) Mild Chili Sauce Flavor
- 2 (15.5 oz) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15.5 oz) can of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can of stewed tomatoes
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes (chili ready or chili flavored if you can find it, if you can’t just use regular diced tomatoes)
- 1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce
spices
- 1 tbsp ancho chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tbsp of baking cocoa, unsweetened
- 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
Searing the meat
Stove Top:
- Heat a large pan to medium heat and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Let the oil heat up and add 1 diced yellow onion and cook for 2-4 minutes.
- Add the 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning.
- Lastly turn your heat up to medium high, add your ground beef and cook it down until you don’t see any more pink in the meat. Remove from heat when done.
Instant Pot: Select the Sauté button.
Ninja Foodi: Select the Sauté button. To adjust the temperature to Medium, use the up and down arrows to go down to MD. Select the START button.
- Let your pot heat up for a couple of minutes while you dice 1 yellow onion and 4 cloves of garlic. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pot after it has heated, let the oil get hot for a minute or two.
- Add in your diced onion and cook it down for a couple of minutes. Next add your minced garlic, and cook that for 30 seconds stirring frequently (to avoid burning the garlic).
- Lastly, add in your ground beef and cook it down until you don’t see any more pink in the meat. Turn off the heat by pressing “Cancel” or the POWER button .
Dump into slow cooker and let it cook
- Add in your bush’s best chili beans (keeping all the liquid), and then add your black beans and kidney beans making sure to drain and rinse these beans.
- Add the stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce.
- Add the spices (ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika, baking cocoa, chipotle powder, kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and 3 bay leaves).
- Mix everything together.
- Set your slow cooker to HI for 4 hours or LOW 8 hours.
- Instant Pot: Select the SLOW COOK button. Next select the ADJUST button to choose the heat (MORE = HI and LESS = LOW). Next choose TIMER and use the – and + to choose your time 4:00 or 8:00. Once you have selected the time you want don’t press any more buttons and it will beep and start to cook on its own. Make sure the valve is set to VENT
- Ninja Foodi: Select the SLOW COOK button. Next, use the arrows above and below TEMP to select HI or LOW. Next, use the arrows above and below TIME to select 04:00 or 08:00. Make sure the valve is set to VENT. Lastly, select the START button.
- Enjoy with some crackers or your favorite toppings!
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