Chili is a great option for the slow cooker. Dump your ingredients in the morning and come home eight hours later to a fragrant, hearty, tasty meal.
Lamb and Black Bean Chili
Ground lamb adds interest to this chili while black beans change it up a bit. The recipe still has typical chili spices and flavors with an interesting twist. It makes six servings.
Ingredients
1 pound ground lamb
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14-ounce) cans cooked black beans, drained
2 (14-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Avocado, sliced for garnish
Sour cream for garnish
Instructions
In a large skillet, heat the ground lamb on medium-high, crumbling it with a spoon as you cook it. Cook until browned, about four minutes. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook until soft, about three minutes more.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
Add the meat mixture to the slow cooker along with the black beans, tomatoes, water, cumin, chili powder, coriander, sea salt, and oregano.
Cover and cook on low for eight hours or on high for four hours. Serve immediately, garnished with avocado slices and sour cream if desired.
Chipotle Beef Chili
Meat lovers, rejoice. This beanless version of beef chili is made using traditional, old-fashioned methods of stewing beef with chili peppers low and slow to develop deep, hearty flavors. It makes six servings.
Ingredients
1 Mexican dried chili, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 chipotle chilis in adobo, 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce reserved
2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
In a spice grinder or food processor, combine the Mexican dried chili, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt. Pulse for about 20 one-second pulses, until the Mexican chili is ground into powder. Add the chipotle chili and adobo and pulse to combine into a paste.
In a large slow cooker, combine the beef chuck and chili powder mixture. Stir to mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours until the beef is very tender.
Garnish with the cilantro if desired.
Lentil and Chorizo Chili With Veggies
This tasty chili gets most of its spice from cured chorizo. Lentils are a nice twist on beans in chili, and they cook well in the slow cooker. It makes six servings.
Ingredients
3/4 cup dried lentils
2 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 pound dry cured chorizo, cut into slices
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients, stirring to mix well.
Cover and cook on low for eight hours or high for five hours, or until the lentils soften.
Other Chili Recipes
Whether you use a slow cooker or make it stove-top, chili is a great meal to serve friends and family. Try some of these other chili recipes.
Chili is a versatile one-pot meal with virtually endless options. It's easy to change the flavors by adding different vegetables and spices, changing the protein, or using a different type of legumes. So the next time you are looking for a no-fuss slow cooker meal you can customize to your family's preferences, consider chili. There's sure to be a version your family will love.
