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I’m feeling like it’s a chili kind of night…
For one there’s Thursday night football… always a good excuse to make a giant pot of chili. But also, it’s just been that kind of a week (you know what I mean), and chili just sounds perfect right about now.
Anyone with me?
I’m sure you guys have heard me say this before, but the only way my mom will eat chili is if it’s served over a giant bed of angel hair pasta…aka Cincinnati style chili. So this is how I grew up eating chili. In fact, for the longest time I really just thought this was how everyone ate chili. I mean, why would you use a bowl if you could eat chili atop a bed of pasta?
It really wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized that not everyone enjoyed their chili this way. At first, I was kind of like, well you guys are doing it so wrong, and to a point I still feel this way, BUT now I understand that there are times when a simple bowl of chili might be just right.
I mean, don’t get me wrong I still prefer chili + pasta, but some nights it’s kind of nice to just have a big bowl of chili with a heaping pile of cheddar on top and a double serving of beer bread for scooping. So really, I’m just swapping out carbs for more carbs, but whateves, you guys know how I like to do it around here.
SIDE NOTE: I sent this over to my parent’s house and word on the street is that the brothers mowed down bowl after bowl. And mom… yeah, she boiled up some angel hair pasta and ate it Cinnci style. Typical.
I have been wanting to create a crockpot beef chili like this one for the longest time now, so I figured fall would be the perfect time to do it. To me, chili is just a fall food. I know it’s equally great for winter, but for some reason the majority of my chili making happens in the fall. Anyone else the same?
I went back and forth about whether or not this should be a crockpot recipe or not. It seems there are a lot of you out there who love crockpot recipes, but then there are some of you who don’t have crockpots, so I am always torn on what direction to go. In the end though, the thought of this chili just slow cooking all day on my kitchen counter sounded too good, so crockpot recipe it is!
That said, any of you who do not own a crockpot, don’t worry, you can just as easily make this on the stove! 🙂
Beyond the smell of the chili simmering all day, what’s really my favorite about this recipe is the flavors. The heat of the chili is balanced with just a touch of sweetness from the maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon. Maple and cinnamon are honestly the perfect way to tie warm fall flavors into this hearty chili, and they pair so well with the beef in the recipe. Oh, and speaking of the beef, if you and your family prefer chicken or turkey, those will work great here too!
Just don’t forget the side of bread…preferably beer bread…or pasta if that’s more your thing…or ok, just both?!?!
Oh my gosh, and of course the cheddar! Can’t have chili without a giant pile of cheddar cheese on top. Cheddar is definitely a must! 🙂
Crockpot Beef Chili.
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 447 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 2-3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 leaf bay
- cheddar cheese, avocado, green onions and cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and cook about 5 minutes or until it begins to caramelize around the edges. Stir the garlic and cook another minute. Use your hands to crumble the ground beef into the pot. Brown the beef, breaking up the meat as you go, about 8 minutes. Once the beef is browned, add in the poblano pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, salt and cayenne. Give it a good stir and let cook about a minute or two. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Transfer the beef mixture to the bowl of your crockpot. Add 2 cups chicken broth, the tomatoes, tomato paste, maple, and bay leaves, stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or hight for 4-5 hours. If your chili is too thick, add the remaining broth to thin.
- Remove the bay leaves and ladle the chili into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese, avocado and fresh cilantro. Eat!
Notes
*Ground chicken or turkey may also be used.
*2 cans of drained kidney, pinto or black beans can be added to the chili during the last hour or so of cooking.
Fist pump for the first chili of the season. YUM!
Hello! What size crock pot do you need/did you use for this? I have a little one so have to check. Thanks!
Hey Amanda,
I used a 7 quart crockpot for this recipe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
How to adapt to pressure cooker?
Hey Lauren,
I would cook on high pressure for 10-15 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
How could you do this in the instant pot?
Hey Linzy,
I have not tested this recipe in the instant pot, so I am unsure of the cook time. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Perfect fall recipe! SO delicious. Love the touch of cinnamon! Really adds a great flavor to the chili. Thank you Tieghan!!!
Thank you so much Debra! xTieghan
I made this the other night with Impossible meat on the stovetop and it was so good! Amazing as always, Tieghan.
Thank you so much Kendall! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
hi! i made this…but it came out extremely tomato-y and kind of bland :(. did anyone see this at all? i want to retry, but this time maybe halving the tomato quantity.
Hi! I am really sorry about that. Is there anything you changed in the recipe? I would love to help! xTieghan
What would you adjust to make this stovetop?
Hey Erin,
I would cook this on the stovetop for 3-4 hours. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this chili for the first time last night and it was so delicious and easy to make. I made a side of cornbread and it was the perfect fall meal. One thing we noted was that it was pretty mild. What would you recommend adding to kick up the spice a bit?
Hey Becca,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I would add some red pepper flakes next time:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Could you provide instructions for cooking this with an instant pot?
Hi Rachel,
I would do 30 minutes on high pressure. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Question- if I don’t have a crockpot, can I cook this on stovetop? If so, what would you suggest for cooking time?
Hi Christina! Of course! Just brown the meat, add the liquids and simmer over medium low heat for 3-4 hours or up to all day on low. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Perfect Super Bowl Sunday meal. I made it in InstantPot and it was delicious. Paired with all the toppings and homemade cornbread!! Thank you so much
Marilyn
Thank you Marilyn!! xTieghan
This is delicious and so easy to make . This will be my go to chili .
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you Susan! xTieghan
Do you have an instant pot version of this?
Hi Taylor, I have a turkey instant pot chili (recipe below). Or you can cook this on high pressure for 25-30 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/healthy-slow-cooker-turkey-and-white-bean-chili/
So I made the recipe from your Super Simple cookbook and this one looks super similar with a couple of tweaks, but my question is regarding the “shelf life” of the chili. The book says its only good for a day left in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Is that accurate?
Hi Allison! I would say you can leave the chili in the fridge for 4-5 days. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love both recipes! Thank you!! xTieghan
The recipe calls for an 8-oz can of tomato paste. I have only seen 6 oz cans of tomato paste; but there are 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce. Which is it for this recipe? Thanks!! Making it today for a cold rainy SoCal evening!!
HI! You need 1 (6-8 ounce) can of tomato paste. My cans come in 8 ounces sizes, but 6 ounces will work just fine! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan