One of my all-time favorite and easiest recipes to make in the slow cooker: chili! It’s great for the fall, winter, rainy day … really any day!
If possible, I recommend making the chili the night before and letting it sit in the refrigerator over night. Trust me, you’ll thank me because all of the flavors start to marinate and blend together.
Ingredients:
4-5 lb of ground beef (I try to stay around 85-93% lean beef)
2-12 ounce cans of tomato sauce
3-6 ounce cans of tomato paste
2 bell peppers, sliced into 1/4″ stripes (I usually try to get 1 red and 1 green or 1 yellow)
6-7 cloves of garlic, minced
2-15 ounce can of black beans, drained
1-15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained
1-2 jalapenos, sliced
1 poblano pepper, sliced
1-16 ounce container of slices mushrooms (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
6 tbl. of wing sauce (choose your favorite! I love using Syberg’s original wing sauce from St. Louis!)
2 tbl. of olive oil
Toppings:
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Recipe:
1. Oil the slow cooker. Always, always, always use some base to protect the pot from food being burnt on or stuck (olive oil or butter do wonders!)
2. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan with the minced garlic. Brown the meat (5 minutes) and drain the grease into a can.
3. Combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, bell peppers, jalapenos, poblano, black beans, chickpeas, salt, pepper, wing sauce, and mushrooms into the slow-cooker.
4. Add in the meat and garlic to the slow-cooker and leave in the refrigerator overnight. If you are not making it ahead of time, skip the refrigerator and jump to the next step!
5. Put the slow-cooker on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours. Remember to stir occasionally, about once an hour, and remove the grease the rises to the top.
6. Serve in bowls and add your favorite toppings!
Notes:
1. I know adding chickpeas to chili is weird, but here me out! They add a different texture feel to the chili and take on a lot of flavor, surprisingly! The same with adding in mushrooms. I get it, it’s weird, but a definitely a weirdness worth trying.
2. As mentioned before, if possible, I like to make the chili a day ahead so that all the flavors mingle and add a little bit of kick to the chili itself. I also love adding in Syberg’s Wing Sauce (not an add, just really like them) because of the undertone kick it has.
3. In addition, to the tomato sauce, if the chili is too thick for your liken, fill each of the tomato paste cans with cold water and add them to the slow-cooker. It’ll thin out the paste, but adding water will dilute flavors so you will have to counteract and add more flavor, if needed!
4. This is super good on hotdogs.
Kirstie's Kitchen Creations 