best ever slow cooker chili

Slow cooker chili is one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make! It requires almost no hands on time, is full of incredible flavor, and makes the best game day or cold-weather meal. Dress it up with any toppings you like!

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I feel like I just re-discovered chili. We haven’t made or eaten chili in AGES and I’ve made it twice in the last two weeks now! It’s just SO easy – and it’s perfect for the cold January weather. It’s so easy to make, I don’t even think I need to walk you through it but we’ll go over it real quick just so you can see how truly easy it is!

First, brown your ground beef (it’s kind of hiding under everything else in the crock pot, but it’s there, haha!). Chop an onion and two green bell peppers and add that next. Then, add canned diced tomatoes, canned kidney beans and mild chili beans (you can use medium if you’re not babies about spicy food like we are, hah!). Lastly, add salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin.

Give it all a good stir, then let it cook on low for 6-8 hours! It’s that easy, folks. Hardly any hands on time, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful, chunky chili.

One of the best parts about chili is that you can dress it up with SO many different toppings!

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

• Fresh cilantro
• Fresh lime wedges
• Sliced jalapeño peppers (if you like it spicy!)
• Avocado slices
• Cheese
• Sour cream
• Oyster crackers
• Tortilla Chips

Need I go on? It’s a choose-your-own-toppings-adventure situation, and you’re the boss!

I personally like mine with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese (which I forgot to add for the photos – oops!), a sprinkle of cilantro, and some tortilla chips or oyster crackers. You can even do whatever it is that people do to make their chili spicy, if you must. I suppose we can still be friends, heh.

Happy cooking, friends! I hope you make this for the big game in a few weeks – our team is out (the Packers – ARGHH!) but that just means it’s all about the food.

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment! 

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5 from 3 votes

Best Ever Slow Cooker Chili

By Stephanie Simmons

Slow cooker chili is one of the easiest recipes you'll ever make! It requires almost no hands on time, is full of incredible flavor, and makes the best game day or cold-weather meal. Dress it up with any toppings you like!

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 6 hours hrs

Servings: 8 servings

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 lbs ground beef
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion, diced
• ▢ 2 large green bell peppers, diced
• ▢ 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
• ▢ 2 cans mild chili beans
• ▢ 1 can kidney beans
• ▢ scant 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp pepper
• ▢ 1 and 1/2 tsp cumin
• ▢ 2 TBSP chili powder

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Instructions 

• Make the Chili: Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir, breaking up the meat, until it's browned and cooked through. Drain the grease and add meat to the crockpot. Add the diced onion and bell pepper next. Drain most of the liquid from the canned tomatoes, and add them in. Add the chili beans next. Drain and rinse the kidney beans, and add them. Add the salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Give everything a really good stir to mix it all together.

  Cook on low for 6-8 hours. (Mine is usually done closer to the 6 hour mark). Make sure the peppers are tender and the onion looks cooked (it will be transluscent). Taste and add more salt + pepper if desired.
• Serve + Store: Serve with any toppings you like! Try any combination of the following - avocado, cilantro, lime, tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, or oyster crackers.

  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-6 days.

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