Easy slow cooker chili recipe

This recipe is based on some recipe I read online probably. It has been tailored to my cooking habits, meaning no precise measuring and as fast as I can make it.

Hope you think it’s as good as I think it is.

I bought generic brands and spices from bulk barn. You can shop according to your budget.

Ingredients:

  • 500g Medium ground beef
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Broccoli crown
  • 1 Potato
  • 1 Can crushed tomatoes (796 ml)
  • 1 Can red kidney beans
  • Some beef broth

Seasoning to taste (sorry I don’t measure):

  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Ground peppercorns
  • Piri piri
  • Cumin
  • Clove
  • Sugar
  • Thyme
  • Oregano
  • 1 Bay leaf (you can used ground ones too)

Cooking utensils:

  • Large saucepan
  • Standard size slow cooker (If you have one of those cute mini ones, you might not need as much ground beef/tomato sauce/beans/broth because it will not fit in your little pot)
  • Spatula
  • Knife
  • Cutting board (if you don’t wanna wash yours, a big plate works too)

Ready in:

30 minutes prep (if you do it slowly)
3.5-4 hours on high

Lean ground beef works fine too. But you might want to cook it less so it doesn’t get too dry.

Steps:

1. Season ground beef with salt, pepper and piri piri. Not sure if piri piri makes a difference so just skip if you don’t have it. Paprika also works.

2. Mince garlic cloves. Put it in a large saucepan.

3. Brown ground beef in said saucepan on medium heat, using oil of your choice.

It’s slightly faster if you slice the onions.

4. While ground beef cooks, cut onions, potatoes and broccoli however you wish to cut them. I cube onions and potatoes. The pictures don’t show any potatoes because I did not buy them. If you don’t like broccoli or don’t want them in your chili, just leave it out and you can add your vegetable of choice.

When I used lean ground beef, I added butter at this stage.

5. Add onions and potatoes into the ground beef when it looks almost browned. Add in some beef broth (I have never measured this so do it to what looks right. You can add only a bit for now, and add in more later if you feel like the chili won’t be soupy enough), half a can of the tomato sauce and stir.

Err on side of caution with how much broth you add at this stage.

6. While the pan stays on the stove, rinse the kidney beans in a strainer. If you don’t have a strainer, dump it into a large mixing bowl and just fill it with water and then drain using your hands.

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It comes out of the can coated in a syrup-y liquid. Just remove that and it’s good to go.

7. Turn off the stove. Pour everything into your slow cooker. Add in your broccoli and the beans. Add in the rest of the tomato sauce and stir.

8. If it looks super thick, add in more beef broth because your chili will reduce when it cooks. Unless you like a paste-like consistency for your chili, it should be more on the watery side when you first start cooking.

Buying spices from bulk barn is a good way to save if you’re just starting to cook.

9. Add in ground peppercorns, cumin, ground cloves, thyme and bay leaves and stir.

10. Put on high and cook for roughly 3.5 hours, depending on how patient you can be. You can cook on low also but it will take probably double as long.

Your chili will reduce (get thicker) so watch the slow cooker if you’re using high heat, at least for the first time.

11. If you’re cooking on high, you can stir it every now and then just to make sure nothing is getting stuck to the pot. Add in more seasoning depending on how it’s tasting. I will add sugar sometimes if it’s too sour.

A standard size slow cooker can feed me chili for a week (lunch and dinner). Plan accordingly.

12. Serve with carb of choice. I like cooking macaroni to eat with the chili like a soup. Toasted bread with butter is also great. I sometimes will also eat it with rice.

That’s it. It looks like lots of steps but I took time to separate a lot of them.

Let me know if it’s good. If it’s not good, don’t @ me.

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