Slow Cooker Chili

Slow cooker meals are ideal for those busy weeknights! With a little prep work, you can have dinner ready with minimal effort. It’s easy to have everything ready to toss in the crockpot, turn it on, and come home after work to an already made dinner, which is why this Slow Cooker Chili is sure to be your new recipe BFF.

While this dish is a good source of protein, it also has a high lycopene content from the canned tomato sauce. Since canned tomatoes are a critical part of any chili dish, it’s important to not skip this ingredient. It makes the chili juicy, adds more flavor, and contributes a boost of nutrient-rich value, as they contain vitamins C, vitamin E, fiber, and potassium. They also contain lycopene, which is a plant compound (carotenoid) that gives tomatoes their vibrant red color and when it’s cooked into meals, the nutritional value is increased. In this recipe, a healthy fat (olive oil) is mixed into the pot, which increases the nutritional value of the dish because studies have shown that consuming tomato products with a healthy fat enables you to achieve maximum health benefits. When you increase the amount of tomatoes in your diet, you are also reducing your risk of certain diseases and cancers due to the positive correlation between lycopene and health benefits. In addition to its numerous health benefits, canned tomato products are easily accessible and affordable for the general public. They have a long shelf life, which enables you to stock up your pantry and reduce your grocery store runs—especially when time is of the essence.

So, the next time you are looking for an easy dinner idea, start up the slow cooker and make some chili. Not only will it make your life easier, your house will smell amazing when you open the front door!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs. ground beef
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
3 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
½ cup beef broth
½ Tbsp. chili powder
2 ½ tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. ground coriander
salt and pepper, to taste
1 (15 oz.) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
Jalapeno slices, for serving
Sour cream, for serving

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic into the pan and saute until the onions turn translucent. Transfer the mixture into a crockpot.
Heat the same skillet over medium high heat and add in the beef. Cook and crumble the beef until fully cooked. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan then transfer it into the crock pot.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cocoa powder, dugar, coriander, and salt and pepper to taste into the crock pot. Mix until combined then cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Mix the dark and light red kidney beans into the chili and cook for 2 minutes. Serve chile with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy!

For other chili recipes, check out some of our favorites:

California Walnut Firehouse Chili
Wrangler’s Beef Chili
Chipotle Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

Slow Cooker Chili