This is the best recipe for homemade Healthy Slow Cooker Chili! It's quick, easy and simple to prepare because it's cooked in a crockpot. This is amazing to serve on gameday or take it with you when you go tailgating!
1 ½poundslean ground beefOR extra-lean, OR a mix of both
salt & pepperto taste
1yellow oniondiced (about 1 cup)
2clovesgarlicminced
2tablespoonstomato paste
1tablespoonchili powderor more to taste
1teaspoonground paprika
1teaspoonground cumin
½teaspoondried oregano
½cupbeef broth
1red bell pepperdiced
1green bell pepperdiced
1(14.5 oz) canchili beans
1(14.5 oz) candiced tomatoes
1(14.5 oz) cankidney beansmashed
½cupsweet corn
all your favorite chili toppings
Instructions
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and brown the ground beef. Transfer to a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
Add onions and garlic to skillet and sauté over medium heat until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and all spices and cook for another 30 seconds, then stir in beef broth, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Transfer to slow cooker.
Add diced peppers, chili beans and canned diced tomatoes to slow cooker. Stir well, then cover with the lid and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
15 minutes before the cooking time is over, open the lid and stir well. Stir in the mashed beans and the sweet corn (if using). Check for seasoning, then coveer with the lid again and finish cooking on HIGH heat for 15 minutes.
Serve with all your favorite chili toppings!
Video
Notes
Ingredient notes
Beef: I used a mix of lean and extra-lean ground beef. I’m not a big fan of very oily chili, but I do like a little bit of fat in there. This mix is my favorite, but feel free to use what your family likes best!
Beans: It’s not crucial to add the blended kidney beans, but it does make for a thicker and very creamy chili without adding any cream or cheese at all – so I’m a huge fan of that!
Tomatoes: Feel free to use fire roasted for more flavor, or diced tomatoes with mild green chiles added.
Peppers: We enjoy a green pepper in our chili, but I know it’s not everyone’s favorite. Feel free to substitute a different color!
Corn: There is no chili without corn in my house, but I know it’s not to everyone’s taste. Feel free to just skip it if you don’t want any corn in your chili!
Spices: If you don’t have the individual spices, feel free to use a packet of chili seasoning instead. And adjust the amount of chili powder to your liking!
Recipe tips
Browning beef and onions:Do not skip browning the beef and sautéing the onion with the tomato paste, spices and broth. This adds so much extra flavor to the dish and only takes 10 minutes of your time. It’s worth it!Slow cooker size:A 4-6 quart slow cooker will do a great job for this recipe. A smaller one will have difficulty fitting all of the ingredients, a larger one may lead to food burning on the sides.Doubling the recipe:This recipe can easily be doubled to feed a crowd, simply adjust the size of your slow cooker accordingly.Dutch oven instructions:If you don’t have the time to wait for 4-8 hours, or you don’t own a slow cooker, you can also make this in a Dutch oven: Simply combine all ingredients in a large Dutch oven and simmer covered over low to medium-low heat for an hour or two.Instant pot?I have a wonderful recipe for instant pot chili as well!