Slow Cooker Chili con Carne

Name: Slow Cooker Chili con Carne
Total time: 320 min
Yield: Family
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 600 g ground beef; 2 cans kidney beans; 800 g diced tomatoes; 2 tbsp chili powder; 1 onion

This slow cooker chili con carne builds layer after layer of deep, beefy, smoky flavor as it simmers low and slow for hours. The long cooking time melts the beef into the rich tomato and bean base for a chili that tastes like it took all day, because it did. Serve it with shredded cheese, sour cream, and crusty bread or cornbread on the side.

Mexican High-Protein Slow Cooker Dinner Family Budget Freezer-Friendly Beef

⏱ 320 min
📊 easy
🍽 Family

Ingredients

600 g ground beef
2 cans kidney beans
800 g diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chili powder
1 onion

Instructions

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and brown 2 pounds of ground beef with 1 diced onion for about 8 minutes, breaking up the meat until it is no longer pink and the onion has softened.
Drain off the excess fat, then stir in 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Transfer the beef and onion mixture to the slow cooker and add 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano, stirring to coat the meat.

Add one 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, one 6 ounce can of tomato paste, and 1 cup of beef broth, then mix everything together.
Drain and rinse two cans of kidney beans and stir them into the pot along with 1 teaspoon of salt and some black pepper.
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the chili is thick and the flavors have melded.
Stir the chili and taste it, adjusting the salt and adding a pinch of cayenne if you want more heat.
Let it rest for 10 minutes off the heat, then serve hot with cheese, sour cream, and chopped onion.

💡 Chef's tip

Brown the ground beef and onions in a skillet before adding them to the slow cooker, because that quick sear creates a savory browned crust that gives the finished chili far more depth than raw meat ever could.

Browning the beef before it goes in the pot builds a savory base through the Maillard reaction that a slow cooker alone can never create.