Easy Crockpot Chili

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I’ve been wanting to share this chili recipe with you for a while, but we have been having such warm weather, and it just doesn’t seem right to make chili when it’s toasty warm out. So when I saw that we had rain in the forecast last Saturday, I knew it might be my last chance until next December to enjoy this chili on a chilly day.

See what I did there?

Little did I know it would be a lot more than a little rain. We actually had a tornado (CONFIRMED by the National Weather Service) come through our part of town. Okay, so it was actually confirmed that that we had a “weak” tornado. But our neighborhood was a mess with broken trees and such. Our next door neighbor even had one of his trees fall right onto his house. This is right about the time of year everyone picks the remaining citrus off their trees, and the tornado definitely took care of that little chore.

So after all that excitement, it was very cozy to sit down to a warm, hearty bowl of my Easy Crockpot Chili with the windows open and the rain gently pitter pattering on the roof.

I’m not sure which one I love more between my Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili, and this traditional ground beef chili recipe. We’ve been enjoying leftovers for lunch all week! It has a little bit of spice to it, which my husband loves, but I’ve listed a couple of ways in the recipe instructions to make it less spicy if that is what your family prefers.

It is so simple to just brown your ground beef, and then add all the ingredients to the crockpot. The hardest part of this recipe is probably just opening up all the cans! I love not having to worry about watching a pot on the stove, and the flavors really do blend together so nicely when it has the chance to cook all day.

One ingredient that I add to this chili toward the end is masa, which is corn flour. I learned this little trick from The Pioneer Woman. It acts as a thickener and gives a subtle corn flavor, which is such a great combination. Be sure to serve this with all your favorite toppings. I love Fritos, shredded cheese and sour cream. Hope you have a chilly day soon so you can enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Author: Julie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 35 minutes
Yield: 10 1x
Category: Soup
Method: Slow Cooker
Cuisine: American

Description

There’s nothing like a warm, hearty bowl of chili on a chilly day. Try my Easy Crockpot Chili with all your favorite toppings, and dinner is done!

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
1 can tomato sauce (30 ounce)
1 can condensed tomato soup (15 ounce)
1 can Rotel (10 ounce)
2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed (15 ounces each)
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (15 ounce)
2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup masa (corn flour)

Instructions

In a large saucepan over high heat, brown ground beef breaking it into small pieces as you go. Season with salt and pepper.
Add onion and garlic, and cook for a few more minutes to soften them.
Remove from heat and drain off excess oil.
Add the browned ground beef, onion and garlic to the crockpot.
Add tomato sauce, tomato soup, Rotel, pinto beans, kidney beans, beef broth, spices, and sugar.
Turn heat to low, cover, and allow to cook for 6-8 hours.
One hour before serving (if you have time), add the masa to the warm water and whisk together until smooth. Stir the slurry into the chili. Cover and cook one more hour to allow the chili to thicken and the flavors to blend.

Notes

*To make this chili less spicy, you can use mild Rotel, and also reduce the amount of chili powder to 1 tablespoon. I use my 5 quart crockpot to make this chili.