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!
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.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours15 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:
Turn a can of tomatoes into a flavorful dish with these canned tomato recipes from registered dietitians.
Get ready to celebrate a world of flavors with canned tomatoes! We are celebrating National Nutrition Month all month long, and this year’s theme is all about how you can appreciate flavors from cultures around the world. This is a tasty way to nourish ourselves and appreciate our diversity, as we are all unique with different bodies, goals, backgrounds and tastes! That’s why we asked some of our registered dietitian friends to share their best canned tomato recipes, as these nutrition professionals are the top in their class for providing healthful and delicious food that also celebrates culture.
We love using canned (and jarred tomatoes) as they provide a plethora of antioxidants (such as lycopene) that play an integral role in the reduction of certain types of diseases and cancers. In fact, numerous studies have linked lycopene consumption with prostate cancer protection. While lycopene is present in other fruits such as watermelon and pink grapefruit, tomatoes (which are the second most consumed vegetable second to potatoes in the U.S.), account for more than 85% of the lycopene in the American diet. Interestingly, cooked tomato products may hold particular significance, as the lycopene from cooked and processed tomatoes is more bioavailable than that of fresh tomatoes. Heating or processing breaks down the tomato cell matrix and promotes isomerization of lycopene from all-trans isomers to the more bioavailable form of cis-isomers. Research shows that single daily servings of processed tomato products produce significant increases of lycopene concentrations in blood and buccal mucosal cells in healthy adults.
So, what are you waiting for? Get ready to see how canned tomatoes can help you uncover a world of flavor with these recipes inspired by global cuisine.
20+ of the BEST canned tomato recipes for National Nutrition Month
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Chunky tomato cabbage soup is the ultimate cozy comfort food. And this one is so simple to make, you’ll be enjoying it in no time! Cook up a batch and enjoy the leftovers for days. Or pop it in the freezer for some busy time.
For other delicious tomato-based recipes, check out some of our favorites:
Are you looking for a new recipe to switch things up? This California Walnut Firehouse Chili recipe is a definite winner. With only 30 minutes of cook time, this recipe may become your go-to weeknight dinner! This isn’t your average chili. The secret ingredient here is California Walnuts! The walnuts will give a great crunch on top as well as a boost of healthy fats. All you need to do is sauté your vegetables, season, add the canned tomatoes, walnuts, and beans and simmer! The dish can then be topped with hot sauce and fresh cilantro for an extra burst of flavor. The best thing about this dish is that you can add any other veggies that you like or are in season!
The base of the sauce for this chili dish is canned tomatoes. Adding tomatoes is a great way to not only add flavor to this dish, but to add tons of nutrition as well. Although fresh tomatoes could be used in this recipe, canned tomato sauce will cook more quickly and is more nutritious! Canned tomatoes are picked when they are perfectly ripe and then cooked before being canned. Cooking tomatoes makes them even more nutritious because it allows the lycopene to be absorbed better in the body.
The next time you are at the grocery store, pick up some canned tomatoes to use in your recipes! They are an affordable and sustainable option that is great for health. When shopping for canned tomatoes at the grocery store, be sure to choose cans that are free of any dents, cracks, or any kind of deformities.
Regardless of the season, everyone is searching for new recipes that can be enjoyed and shared with friends and family. That’s why you should definitely check out this recipe for Wrangler’s Beef Chili! Whether it’s cooked in a slow cooker, stove top, or crockpot, you can never go wrong with a flavor-packed chili dish. This recipe calls for ground beef, veggies, tomato sauce, and macaroni. All of these ingredients provide specific nutrients that make this meal not only full of flavor, but also a secretly healthy comfort meal. For additional flavor, you can top this chili dish off with some crushed baked tortilla chips, green or regular onions, tomato, bell pepper, fresh cilantro, reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese, and non-fat Greek yogurt. This dish can be mixed in with baked potato halves or whole wheat macaroni if you are looking for some substitutions. Another interesting component of this recipe is that you can style it two ways: Cincinnati or Moroccan style, by adding alternative seasonings and grains that are specific to this dish.
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. The ability of canned tomatoes to absorb more nutrients within the body allow them to contain cancer-fighting properties. Canned tomatoes are easy to find at any local grocery store and are cost-efficient, making them easily available and accessible to the general public. So if you’re trying to stock up on low-calorie, nutrient-rich canned items, then canned tomatoes will be your new best friend!
Get the full recipe for Wrangler’s Beef Chili by visiting our friends at the National Beef Council.
Looking for a vegetarian dish that is both healthy and delicious? Look no further because this Chipotle Pumpkin Black Bean Chili is a sweet and savory dish that is a must-try! The thickness of this chili mixed with numerous seasonings will make it seem like a “comfort food” when in reality it’s actually full of nutrients, making it a healthy, nutritious meal. This recipe calls for not one, but TWO tomato-based products—canned diced tomatoes and tomato paste—providing you with double the nutrition content associated with tomatoes. Once you saute the vegetables, add the tomato products, protein of choice, seasonings, and garnish with green onions, you will have yourself a heart-warming dish in no time!
What’s so special about canned tomato products? They 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 make sure to grab some canned tomato products on your next trip to the market and create a delicious meal that your whole family is guaranteed to enjoy!
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