Crock Pot Chipotle Chili con Carne

Last weekend, I made the world’s best chili. OK, I guess it was what I would consider to be the world’s best chili. I think pretty much everyone has an opinion on what they like when it comes to chili. Mine is meaty, has some heat, a thick and tomato-y sauce, and is not too incredibly heavy on the beans. When going through one of my favorite cooking blogs, I saw a vegetarian chili recipe that used chipotle chili in adobo sauce, and I knew I had found an inspiring recipe to change up my usual chili recipe which is just was missing something. Hallelujah, I have found my chili! It is so good that I am making it again today…and not only because my camera was missing the SD card and there are no pictures from last week’s adventure. Oops!

Here are the ingredients for this perfect chili :

First, chop up the onion, red peppers and tomatoes. I used tomatoes in combination with canned diced tomatoes because the consistency of diced tomatoes is much less “dicey” here and I like dices of tomatoes in my chili. So picky, I know!

Next, brown the ground beef in a skillet. There is no such thing as low fat ground beef here, so I drained mine as there was a LOT of fat in the pan. Transfer the meat to your crock pot, and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil before adding in the onions. After about a minute, I added in the red pepper and left to cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add this mix to the crock pot.

In two cups of beef bouillon, I add all the spices for the chili and mix it up good to ensure it is distributed throughout.

Drain and rinse the beans, and then add them along with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and the beef bouillon & spices to the crock pot. Next, finely chop up a few chipotle chilies to add to the mix. I used two, which had a good kick without being too spicy. My husband prefers his chili a little milder than I do, but this was spicy enough for me without being too spicy for him. The remaining chilies will keep in the refrigerator for a long time as they are really spicy! YUM!

Stir everything up, and let this cook on low for 6 – 8 hours.

In total, this makes about 8 cups, which depending on your serving size is around 6 – 8 servings. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chipotle Chili con Carne

Ingredients :
1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Large Yellow Onion, diced
2 Red Bell Peppers, diced
2 Medium Tomatoes, diced
1 Can Kidney Beans
1 Can Black Beans
2 Cups Beef Bouillon or Broth
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons Chipotle Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder or Granulate
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder or Granulate
1 1/2 Cups Tomato Sauce
1 Jar Diced Tomatoes
1-3 Chipotle Chilies in Adobo (more or less to taste), finely chopped

Instructions :
Brown the ground beef, then drain and add to the crock pot. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat, and then add the onions and cook for a minute. Add the red peppers and continue to brown for 5 minutes, then add to the crock pot. Prepare the bouillon and mix in all of the dried spices. Drain and rinse the beans, and add them along with the tomatoes, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beef bouillon mix and chipotle chilies to the crock pot. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, or whatever suits your taste buds. Enjoy!