Chili is one of the most common meals I make because of how customizeable, reheatable, scalable, and freezable it is. This version replaced an older version of the beef chili I had here. This one is slightly more work, but the return on flavor and macros is very much worth it, and it is way more filling. You can also portion this out into smaller servings if you like, because this makes 5 very large servings. You could portion this out into 6-8 servings if you are feeding a lot of people.
If you don’t like red meat, feel free to swap the ground beef with ground chicken or turkey. For a vegetarian version, check out my Beans Chili Recipe. If you can’t do spicy at all, replace the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with smoked paprika, but I highly recommend using at least a couple of them because it really brings out the flavor.
- ⏲️ Prep time: 15 min
- 🍳 Cook time: 4-8 hours (depending on preference)
- 🍽️ Servings: 5
- 🔥 Calories: 631
- 🍗 Protein: 50
- 🧈 Fat: 18
- 🍞 Carbs: 65
- 🌾 Fiber: 15
Ingredients
- 2 lbs 90% lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced (I used red, use whatever you like)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, whole
- 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (use only 2 or 3 peppers and a small spoonful of the sauce from the can for mild chili, but go ahead and use the whole can for a medium-hot chili)
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can dark red kidney beans
- 2 lbs potatoes of your choice (I like red, skin on), diced into small bite size pieces
- chili powder
- salt
- pepper
- paprika (smoked if you have it, otherwise regular is fine)
- cumin
Directions
- To a blender, add the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, tomato paste, garlic cloves, and enough of the crushed tomatoes as needed for your blender to puree everything together
- Set this chipotle sauce aside
- In a large pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil until hot, and brown the ground beef with salt and pepper (in batches if you need to to keep it from being too watery)
- Into a slow cooker, add ground beef, blended chipotle sauce, the rest of the crushed tomatoes, diced veggies, potatoes, and beans (don’t rinse the beans, the liquid will help thicken the sauce)
- Season with additional salt, chili powder, cumin, and paprika
- Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 7-8. The longer it cooks, the better it gets
- Serve, optionally topping with sour cream and/or shredded cheese