This super easy slow cooker chili is the ultimate pantry meal! I make it probably every other week because it's so easy and will feed the two of us for like three days. My Crock-Pot* is easily one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, especially when I'm commuting almost 3 hours a day. I always have canned veggies on hand and ground beef in the freezer, so we can make chili literally whenever.

two bowls of easy slow cooker chili with tortilla chips

To make the chili, we just saute up the ground beef with onions and peppers. Then combine everything in the Crock-Pot and let it hang out all day. That's it! So easy.

Tip: It's always cheaper to buy ground beef in bulk, so I'll buy a 2-3 pound pack and saute it all with onions and peppers. Then portion it out and freeze it! Then whenever I'm craving chili, we can just throw our frozen meat in the Crock-Pot with some canned tomatoes and beans and voila! dinner is served (in 4-8 hours).

bowl of easy slow cooker chili with lime and sour cream

You can use any canned tomatoes that you have on hand, but my favorite are these Harris Teeter Fire Roasted Salsa Tomatoes! They are so good! They have a ton of flavor and taste amazing in chili. So if you have a Harris Teeter nearby, I highly recommend giving these a try. But again, any diced tomatoes will do just fine.

Serving Suggestions

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Tortilla chips
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Cilantro
Green onions
Lime

bowl of easy slow cooker chili with lime, sour cream, and tortilla chips

Vegetarian Option

Since this chili is already loaded with four types of beans and corn, just remove the ground beef/turkey to make it vegetarian chili!

Easy Slow Cooker Chili

Author: Kyleigh Sage
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 8-10 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This easy slow cooker chili is the perfect pantry meal! Loaded with beans, corn, and salsa tomatoes, it only takes a few minutes to dump in your Crock-Pot!

Ingredients

Scale

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2-4 jalapenos, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
1 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
1-2 cups Vegetable Stock or water
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons hot sauce (my favorite is Cholula)

Serving Suggestions

shredded cheese
sour cream
cilantro
green onions
lime wedges
tortilla chips
Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the onion, bell peppers, jalapenos, and garlic in the olive oil until translucent and fragrant.
Add in the ground beef, salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder, and cumin and continue to cook until the beef is browned and cooked through (just a few minutes). You can drain out the excess fat if desired, then add to your Crock-Pot.
Add in the canned tomatoes, beans, and corn and stir until combined.
Add just enough stock or water to barely cover top of the ingredients in the Crock-Pot (add more liquid if you want a more soupy chili).
Stir in the lime juice and hot sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.