I’ve been wanting to share this chili recipe with you for a while, but we have been having such warm weather, and it just doesn’t seem right to make chili when it’s toasty warm out. So when I saw that we had rain in the forecast last Saturday, I knew it might be my last chance until next December to enjoy this chili on a chilly day.
See what I did there?
Little did I know it would be a lot more than a little rain. We actually had a tornado (CONFIRMED by the National Weather Service) come through our part of town. Okay, so it was actually confirmed that that we had a “weak” tornado. But our neighborhood was a mess with broken trees and such. Our next door neighbor even had one of his trees fall right onto his house. This is right about the time of year everyone picks the remaining citrus off their trees, and the tornado definitely took care of that little chore.
So after all that excitement, it was very cozy to sit down to a warm, hearty bowl of my Easy Crockpot Chili with the windows open and the rain gently pitter pattering on the roof.
I’m not sure which one I love more between my Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili, and this traditional ground beef chili recipe. We’ve been enjoying leftovers for lunch all week! It has a little bit of spice to it, which my husband loves, but I’ve listed a couple of ways in the recipe instructions to make it less spicy if that is what your family prefers.
It is so simple to just brown your ground beef, and then add all the ingredients to the crockpot. The hardest part of this recipe is probably just opening up all the cans! I love not having to worry about watching a pot on the stove, and the flavors really do blend together so nicely when it has the chance to cook all day.
One ingredient that I add to this chili toward the end is masa, which is corn flour. I learned this little trick from The Pioneer Woman. It acts as a thickener and gives a subtle corn flavor, which is such a great combination. Be sure to serve this with all your favorite toppings. I love Fritos, shredded cheese and sour cream. Hope you have a chilly day soon so you can enjoy this recipe as much as we did!
PrintEasy Crockpot Chili
There’s nothing like a warm, hearty bowl of chili on a chilly day. Try my Easy Crockpot Chili with all your favorite toppings, and dinner is done!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
- 1 can tomato sauce (30 ounce)
- 1 can condensed tomato soup (15 ounce)
- 1 can Rotel (10 ounce)
- 2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed (15 ounces each)
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (15 ounce)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup masa (corn flour)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over high heat, brown ground beef breaking it into small pieces as you go. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add onion and garlic, and cook for a few more minutes to soften them.
- Remove from heat and drain off excess oil.
- Add the browned ground beef, onion and garlic to the crockpot.
- Add tomato sauce, tomato soup, Rotel, pinto beans, kidney beans, beef broth, spices, and sugar.
- Turn heat to low, cover, and allow to cook for 6-8 hours.
- One hour before serving (if you have time), add the masa to the warm water and whisk together until smooth. Stir the slurry into the chili. Cover and cook one more hour to allow the chili to thicken and the flavors to blend.
Notes
*To make this chili less spicy, you can use mild Rotel, and also reduce the amount of chili powder to 1 tablespoon. ** I use my 5 quart crockpot to make this chili.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 453
- Sugar: 9.4g
- Sodium: 1220mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.2g
- Trans Fat: 0.7g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 5.9g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 81mg
It’s still quite cold here, so I could definitely use some of this delicious chili to cozy up. It looks incredible Julie!
And the masa trick is certainly a brilliant one – I’ll have to try it soon! xxxx
Thanks Consuelo. That Pioneer Woman is a clever one! Hope you get a chance to try this one :0)
If I don’t have a full hour to let the masa set in would that be ok? I’m just thinking home from school/work not sure they would want to wait another hour! Lol
It should be fine, just give it at least 15 minutes if you can. Enjoy!
A legit tornado Julie?? That’s crazy!!! Glad you guys are okay. I LOVE the idea of adding masa at the end of a simple chili. i have an enchilada soup recipe I love that has masa in it, it’s amazing. Such a great idea! Gotta love Ree.
Hi there, I’m assuming this can be done on high for 4 hours?
Hi, I’d be a little worried (depending on the intensity of your crockpot setting) that it may burn on the bottom and sides on high. I’d probably still cook it on low since it would still likely come to a simmer after four hours. The beef should be cooked through after browning it initially. Hope this helps! Enjoy.
This chili looks so delicious. Love crockpot recipes like this one! So glad you had a weak tornado – I am pretty sure I would be in the kitchen cooking up some comfort food after an experience like that.
Thanks Kathi!
We just finished our delicious chili!! I made it with Mild Rotel, but kept the chili powder at 2 tablespoons. It was the perfect balance of spice for me – and I’m pretty wimpy:)
I’m so glad your appetite is back! And glad you liked this chili too :0)
This is in my crock pot and I cant keep the lid on it to let it keep cooking…it is SO DELICIOUS and I haven’t even put the corn meal in yet… I love the ‘soup’ part of it more than I love the stuff in it. Ths is by far the most delicious and easy chili Ive ever made.
I’m so glad! Hope you enjoyed!
Sorry, but what is Rotel? I’m trying to figure it out from the ingredients. Is it a type of tomato sauce?
It is a canned mixture of diced tomatoes and green chiles. Hope that helps!
Super good chili!
The Magic is in the Masa!
So good! Thank you for sharing!
Don’t know what Ro-Tel is?
http://www.ro-tel.com
Hi Brent – Yes, you are so right… the magic is in the masa! I’m glad you enjoyed!
Can I substitute cornmeal for the masa?
Not sure about that. I have not tested it with cornmeal. Cornstarch might work but not sure on the measurements.
I’ve been making this recipe for years in my crockpot, it’s my go to! Wondering if anyone has ever made it in the instant pot?