Oma's Slow Cooker Easy Chili

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

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This easy slow-cooker chili recipe is so simple and oh so delicious! Perfectly rich and the best dish for a cool winter evening

Want an easy chili recipe? Here's my slow cooker chili -- just put everything in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to dinner! That's quick prep! 

You can make changes to the main recipe to suit your fancy. Serve it as a soup or thicken to serve it over hot cooked rice. Omit the beans. Add mushrooms (my favorite). Add extra veggies. You choose!

Looking for a hearty chili recipe that's a little bit more healthy? Check out our easy vegan chili recipe right here!

However, something a bit more classic is this three bean chili that can also be made in a slow cooker. 

Slow Cooker or stove top?

For me, using the slow cooker is so easy. It's usually a just-toss-everything-in kind of recipe. Turn it on, go away, and come back hours later to a meal that's done. Easy-breezy.

And, in this case, it's also surely the easiest way how to make chili. Using a slow cooker means that there's no standing at the stove, stirring for hours to make sure things don't burn.

If you really want to make this quicker, you can always do it on the stove. You just do need to stir it frequently so that the chili doesn't settle and burn on the bottom!

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A Bit Of This and a bit of that ...

• Add some diced celery, chopped carrots, canned and drained chickpeas.
• Thicken sauce with cornstarch (dissolve about 2 tbsp cornstarch in some cold water) and add to simmering sauce.
• Serve this as a sauce over hot cooked rice.

Chili facts ...

Usually called Chili con carne, meaning chili with meat, this dish is supposed to be a spicy stew which contains chili peppers, meat, and, depending on taste, tomatoes and/or beans.

There are so many variations for this, from the level of spiciness to the inclusion or exclusion of various ingredients. Where chili originated is a widely contested 'fact' ... with Mexico or Texas being the most likely winners. 

Is chili German? Absolutely NOT!

But, it tastes so good and our family loves it. In fact, I make it quite often, doubling and even tripling the recipe and using a super large pot, so that there will be LOTS of leftovers! 

Ready to make this chili?

Print Recipe

Oma's Slow Cooker Easy Chili Recipe 

Here's my slow cooker chili -- just put everything in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to dinner! That's quick prep! 

You can make changes to the main recipe to suit your fancy. Serve it as a soup or thicken to serve it over hot cooked rice. Omit the beans. Add mushrooms (my favorite). Add extra veggies. You choose!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 - 7 hours

Total Time 5 - 7 hours

Servings:

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 cup whole tomatoes (canned)
• 1 cup ground tomatoes (canned)
• 2 cups kidney beans (canned), drained
• 1 cup mushroom pieces (canned), drained (optional)
• 1 cup chopped green/red peppers (optional)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1½ tablespoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

1. Place everything in the slow cooker and stir to mix, breaking up ground beef.
2. Cover and cook on Low for about 5 to 7 hours.
3. Season with extra salt and/or pepper and/or chili powder.
4. If sauce seems too thin, uncover the slow cooker for the last hour and turn to high.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

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Complete your set today - order now!

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.