Description
Hearty slow cooker chili delight brings warmth and comfort to classic comfort cuisine. Soul-satisfying flavors meld together, promising a delicious meal that warms hearts and fills bellies with pure culinary joy.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein Base:
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 (14.5 oz) can kidney beans, mashed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can chili beans
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 diced red bell pepper
- 1 diced green bell pepper
- ½ cup sweet corn (optional)
Seasonings and Liquids:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup beef broth
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare a large skillet over medium-high heat, creating a sizzling surface for browning the ground beef with a touch of olive oil, salt, and pepper until thoroughly caramelized.
- Transfer the richly browned meat into a spacious slow cooker, ensuring maximum flavor retention.
- Utilize the same skillet to gently sauté diced onions and minced garlic, softening them until translucent and aromatic.
- Introduce a medley of spices – tomato paste, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and oregano – to the onion mixture, allowing their robust flavors to bloom for half a minute.
- Deglaze the skillet with beef broth, scraping up the delectable browned bits from the pan’s surface, then pour the fragrant mixture into the slow cooker.
- Incorporate vibrant red and green peppers, hearty chili beans, and juicy diced tomatoes into the developing chili, stirring to distribute ingredients evenly.
- Set the slow cooker to LOW, allowing the flavors to meld and intensify over 8 hours of gentle cooking.
- Fifteen minutes before completion, fold in creamy mashed kidney beans and sweet corn kernels, which will add texture and depth to the dish.
- Briefly elevate the cooker to HIGH for the final 15 minutes, giving the chili a final burst of heat and allowing flavors to fully integrate.
- Ladle the steaming chili into bowls and garnish with optional toppings like tangy sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, or freshly chopped green onions for a personalized finishing touch.
Notes
- Slow cooking transforms tough beef into melt-in-your-mouth tender meat, creating deeper flavor layers through long, gentle simmering.
- Browning meat beforehand adds rich caramelized notes and intensifies the overall taste profile of the chili.
- Layering spices during different cooking stages develops complex, robust seasonings that penetrate every ingredient.
- Kidney beans mashed near the end help naturally thicken the chili, creating a heartier, more luxurious texture.
- Low and slow cooking method allows ingredients to blend seamlessly, producing a deeply satisfying comfort meal.
- Plan ahead, as this recipe requires approximately 8-9 hours from start to finish, making it perfect for weekend meal prep.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours and 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 80mg