Crockpot Chili

Crockpot Chili is sweet & spicy and so good served with sour cream, cheese, and Fritos. Made with three different beans, ground beef, tomato sauce, beef broth, seasonings, and my favorite chili ingredient ... cocoa powder!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword chili recipe, crockpot chili, slow cooker chili recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 6

Servings people (1 cup each)

Calories 359kcal

Author Jessica

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 yellow or white onion finely diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup 50% reduced sodium beef broth *see notes
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) ranch style beans do not drain
1 can (15 oz) chili beans do not drain
1 can (16 oz) original baked beans do not drain
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
sour cream, shredded cheese, Fritos corn chips for toppings

Instructions

In a skillet pan, brown and crumble the ground beef, onion, and salt. Once beef is no longer pink drain the excess liquid and grease.
Add the cooked ground beef mix into the insert of the crockpot. Add all the remaining ingredients (NOT the toppings : sour cream, cheese, Fritos) and stir it together. Cover with the lid and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.
Top each serving with sour cream, shredded cheese, and Fritos corn chips.

Notes

Draining ground meats : I have found the easiest way to drain ground meats is to put a colander into a bowl (I use a dirty bowl so I don't dirty a new bowl) and pour the ground beef into the colander. That way the grease is drained because the bowl below catches it, and you won't have extra grease in your chili from the ground beef

If you want your chili thicker : Once the cook time is done if you take the lid off of the crockpot and let it sit there for several minutes, it will naturally thicken up on it's own. If you want it really thick then add 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 3 tablespoons cold water into a small bowl and mix it together well. Pour it into the chili and let it cook on LOW for about 30 additional minutes. I have never added the cornstarch to this chili so I can't say for sure the results. That said, I have tested this recipe and written it to make it thick but still have some liquid in it. But it's not like soup.

Beans : Do not drain any of the beans. Just dump the contents in the can straight into the crockpot. Make note that if you substitute some of the beans, then it may change the final flavor of the chili. The ranch style beans and chili beans both have a seasoned chili sauce base and a seasoned tomato sauce base that provides lots of extra flavor. If you can't find the ranch style beans then use two cans of the chili beans.

Beef Broth : I have only made this recipe using the 50% reduced sodium beef broth (I just measure out 1 cup from a 14.75 oz) plus the 1 teaspoon salt when I cook the ground beef. If all you have is full salt beef broth you can either reduce the salt when cooking the beef to 1/2 teaspoon. Or just use the full salt beef broth and don't change anything else.

Nutrition