During the colder months I like to make chili about every other week. I was raised on this stuff and it is one of my favorites. It is hearty, flavorful, and makes the best leftovers. I love to serve it in a bowl along with cornbread, crackers, or tortilla chips. It is simple to make and clean up is a breeze, your going to want to try this! Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chili

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies*
3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and freshly ground black 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

Serve topped with:
Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, chopped red or green onions, cilantro, roasted peppers, or hot sauce

*Optional serve with:
fresh cornbread or biscuits, baked russet potatoes, saltine crackers or tortilla chips

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large and deep non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add onion and sauté 3 minutes, then add garlic and sauté 30 seconds longer. Pour onions into a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker.

Return skillet to medium-high eat, add beef and cook stirring occasionally until beef has browned. Drain most of fat from beef, leaving about 2 tablespoons in with beef (this is optional, I think it ads flavor but you can drain it all if you’d prefer). Pour browned beef into slow cooker.

Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup beef broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Stir mixture, cover with lid and cook on low heat for 5 – 6 hours.

Stir in dark and light red kidney beans and allow to heat through, about 10 minutes (if you want the soup to have more liquid you can add in another 1/2 beef broth). Serve warm with desired toppings (I say the cheese and sour cream is a must, everything else is optional).

*If you don’t like heat then you can use canned tomatoes without green chiles since they are a tad spicy.

Enjoy!
-Taryn Sugar