February winter in Iowa means bitter cold temps, plenty of snow, and Slow Cooker Chili! Served up with a bit of shredded cheddar cheese or a slice of cornbread.
Happy Frigid Friday! Yep, it’s freezing (-6 degrees) and it won’t be getting better for a while. Temps this cold and winter in general always have me reaching for soup and bread. Speaking of bread, these Bran Dinner Rolls are an awesome side with your bowl of chili.
Slow Cooker Chili (with cornbread) is one of my favorites. Every bite gives you the heat of the red peppers and chili powder with the sweetness of the cornbread. Do you prefer cheese or cornbread in your chili?
I wish you could smell this! Onions, peppers, chili powder, and red pepper all married up in a tomato base with ground beef. The beauty of it too is that you can really make it your own by adding your “spin” on the ingredients. Try using shredded beef roast or pork loin in place of the ground beef. I have even thrown in a couple of leftover meats from previous meals. There’s just so much comfort in a batch of chili slowly cooking all day.
So, I mentioned cheese or cornbread with your chili. It would be unforgivable if I forgot to also remind you of cinnamon rolls with chili. Have I got you curious now?
I don’t know if it’s an Iowa thing, a Midwest thing, or where it originated but, growing up in Iowa, you would usually accompany a steamy bowl of chili with cinnamon rolls. Some people even put the cinnamon roll on top of their chili in the bowl! I haven’t been brave enough to try that yet but I just feel like it has to be good. Kind of like peanut butter on a burger. 🙂
Are you ready to dive right in to chili making? Let’s do it!
Ingredients:
- Lean ground beef – you can substitute with beef roast, pork loin, or Italian sausage
- Onion – Vidalia or green onions (scallions)
- Green bell pepper – I prefer them with four lobes as they are sweeter. For a bit more “heat” you can use a three-lobed pepper.
- Red bell pepper
- Great Northern beans *
- Chili beans *
- Tomato juice – nothing beats home-canned from your garden.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes
- Red pepper flakes
- Chili powder
*Note – you can use any type of bean that you like. Pinto beans, kidney beans, butter beans, or lentils are also great options. I use canned for their convenience but I have also started with dry beans that I soak overnight prior to cooking.
Directions:
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with onion, green pepper, and red pepper.
- Drain ground beef mixture, if needed, and add to slow cooker (crockpot).
- Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
Comfort food…it’s in the preparation, serving and enjoying of a meal that you create and share with others. It doesn’t get any better than that my friends. Wishing you a warm and cozy weekend with your Valentine(s)!
Until next time…Cheers!
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Slow Cooker Chili
Nothing beats a slow cooker full of chili on a cold winter day!
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 (15.5 oz) can Great Northern Beans, drained
- 1 (15.5 oz) can chili beans
- 1 qt tomato juice
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp. chili powder
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with onion, green pepper, and red pepper.
- Drain ground beef mixture, if needed, and add to slow cooker (crockpot).
- Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
Notes
The chili can also be cooked in a dutch oven or soup pot on the stove cooking on low for at least 1 hour.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 254Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 67mgSodium 385mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 26g
Nutritional data is not always accurate.
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