Recipe: Slow Cooker Kickin' Chili

While this doesn't end up being the cheapest recipe in the world, it does make several meals, bringing the cost per meal down. You'll need at least a 6 qt slow cooker to make this one. (You'll see I pulled out my big one for this) Unless you have a large family, you'll probably either want to freeze the extra or can it. To make this vegetarian, ditch the meats and add another 2 cans of kidney beans. DH insists on his meaty chili though, so I'm stuck.

Prep time is at least a half an hour, depending on your interruptions. ;)

2 cans tomato paste
1 large can peeled tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained
2 cans kidney beans, undrained
1 can garbanzo peas, drained
chili seasoning packet or 1/2 cup chili powder
1 lb spicy sausage
1 lb ground beef
1 diced onion
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 can chopped green chile peppers
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
2 minced cloves garlic
1/2 cup - 1 cup beef broth (or water)

Dice the onion first. If you have a food processor, go ahead, but I wasn't pulling mine out for one lonely little onion. You can skip the onions if you hate them, don't worry, they aren't a huge deal.


Cook the ground beef and drain. Add to the pot.


Cook the sausage and drain. Add to the pot.


Add the chili seasoning, oregano, cumin, garlic and broth or water, and mix. If you like your chili chunky, use less broth/water.



Add the chile peppers and chopped onions. I forgot to buy the peppers, so imagine they are there. ;)


Add all the beans and mix this.




Add the tomato paste. An easy way to get out the paste without scraping the can is to open both ends, and push it through.


Add the peeled and diced tomatoes. Mix well.



Cook on high 6 hours, or low 8-10. If you need to cook it on high for lower than 6 hours, skip the garbanzo beans as they will be too hard. They really need cooking time in recipes.



Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream if desired.