Classic Beef and Bean Slow Cooker Chili
Warm up with a comforting bowl of this classic beef and bean slow cooker chili! Perfect for game day or a busy weeknight!
This time of year, nothing beats a big bowl of comfort food, like this slow cooker chili. Made with plenty of beef and beans, it’s full of protein and filling fiber, and is perfect for tailgating, a game day party at home, or a busy weeknight meal!
Who’s ready for chili season?! Technically, there’s no chili season for me, since I make it year round, but as the weather cools down, I definitely get a hankering for a big bowl of comforting chili! You guys have LOVED these turkey chili and chicken chili versions, so I knew I wanted to bring you guys a great beef chili recipe that’s made in the slow cooker. After all, is there anything better than walking through the door at the end of a lonnnngggg day, and being hit with the smell of a delicious chili simmering away? Knowing it’s cooked and ready to go is such a relief right?!
So I guess the only thing it comes down to, is one quintessential question…
DO YOU LIKE BEANS IN YOUR CHILI? OR PREFER NO BEANS?
Growing up and living in Ohio, our “chili” is WAY different than what anyone else considers chili (check out the ultimate Cincinnati-Style chili here!), so I’m really the type of person who can have it both ways. Sometimes I like the added fiber and texture of the beans, and other times, I prefer it without. If you can’t stand the thought of beans in your slow cooker chili, you can leave them out of this recipe, or try this beef and poblano version!
Are you a huge chili toppings fan? I am. I load my chili up! My personal favorite toppings are:
- diced avocado
- chopped tomatoes
- shredded cheese (the Mexican blend cheese is my personal fav!)
- tortilla strips or crushed chips
- sliced green onions
- minced cilantro
- sliced or diced jalapeños
- sour cream
This chili has a kick, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it spicy. There are a few ways to tame the spice here if you’re worried about it:
- Use a MILD can of died green chiles
- Use a green bell pepper instead of diced green chiles
- Top with plenty of cheese and sour cream 🙂
The next time you’re craving some classic Fall comfort food, try this slow cooker chili!!
Try this chili with a big slice of this skillet cornbread (cooked in bacon drippings!)!
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Warm up with a comforting bowl of this classic beef and bean slow cooker chili! Perfect for game day or a busy weeknight!
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 1 red or green bell pepper, diced
- 2 lbs ground beef (I use an 80/20 fat content)
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (or diced)
- 14 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 (15oz) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 oz can diced green chiles
- diced avocado
- diced fresh tomatoes
- sliced green onions
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- minced cilantro
- tortilla strips or broken tortilla chips
- diced or sliced jalapeños
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To a large skillet, add oil and heat over MED to MED-HIGH heat. Add onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and very fragrant, about 5 minutes.
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Add ground beef and cook about 5 minutes, crumbling with a wooden spoon or potato masher, until beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat, and return beef mixture to skillet.
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Add salt, chili powder, cumin and black pepper and minced garlic, and cook about a minute.
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Transfer beef mixture to the bottom of slow cooker. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and green chiles, and stir well to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 5-6 hours.
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Taste chili and season with salt and black pepper if needed. Serve with any desired toppings and enjoy!
This chili is thick and rich, but if you prefer a less thick version, when adding the cans of crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and green chiles, add about a cup of beef stock/broth.
To cook this on the stove top:
- Complete steps 1-3, using a dutch oven or stockpot instead of a skillet, then add all remaining ingredients to pot and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes, or until chili has thickened to desired consistency.
NEVER MISS A CHUNKY CHEF RECIPE:
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My 11 year old grandson Ambrose made this chili for us. The only difference was he used 3pounds of hamburger and 2 1/2 cans of kidney beans. This chili was fabulous. The best I’ve had in a long time. Thank you for sharing.
I have made this chili numerous time and it is the best chili I have tasted since my mother’s chili. It’s chock full of meat and beans and so full of flavor. Thank you so much. Do you have the nutritional information for this one other than the kcal value?
I’m so glad you love the chili! As I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t provided full nutritional information for my recipe (don’t want to inadvertently pass along incorrect information). Your best bet would be to copy the ingredients into your favorite online nutritional calculator.
Can you double this recipe for a party and have it still fit in a crockpot? If so, do you need to adjust the heating time at all?
I’ve never doubled it, but if you do, you’d need a pretty big crockpot (or two of them). I’d increase the heating time to 8-10 hours to account for the extra servings.
Post a link to a ‘skillet’ big enough to hold 2 diced onions, 1 diced bell pepper, and 2 pounds of ground beef please.
https://amzn.to/2FLAI6Y or you can break up the beef into two batches of 1 lb each.
As soon as I read you were an Ohio girl, I knew this was the recipe I’d be going with. I’m from Cincinnati and work downtown so I love hearing out-of-staters opinion of our “watery chili” lol and while I love our version, these fall days have me in the mood for the chunky kind. I will be sure to post an update but I suspect my boys are going to love this- especially the avocado toppings!
UPDATE: So I did end up making this and usually any crockpot meal leaves at least some left overs in our house, but there was none of this chili left! Very good and will probably bookmark this for another cold day 🙂
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Drives me crazy when people post a comment and not a REVIEW….I want to hear if someone made it and if they liked it! Well I made this Chili for the Super Bowl last night and it is fantastic! Easy to make and so full of flavor! I usually make mine with ground turkey but I wanted to change it up because it was the SUPER BOWL! ha! Don’t skimp on the toppings for this one, diced avocado is a must! As well as green onions, fresh tomatoes, shredded cheese, broken tortilla chips…you get the picture!
I have to agree with you! I want to hear how it taste to someone after cooking it. Thanks for the review!
I am always in for a good chili!
I am loving this chili recipe! I will be making it soon!
This may be one of the best looking bowls of chili I’ve ever seen!
Totally my kind of chili! YUM!
My husband loves chili! This is a perfect easy recipe to make for him!
15 minute prep? Heck yeah! Sign me up.
This chili looks amazing and I’m definitely a fan of beans!