The weather is getting colder, so the food is getting hotter, and if you’re in my boat (with a small child in your home needing your attention at most times of the day), you’re going to appreciate this chili beans recipe of mine (I have another version of this dish, which you’ll find here).
Getting Creative With Your Chili Beans
Now, I’m not a measuring type, so you have to think about what you like – spicy, mild, etc. I encourage you to use your creative genius.
I finished off the dish with cheddar cheese sprinkled at the top and a dollop of sour cream. If I’m not getting crazy with calories, I sometimes use chips to dip. But if you’re smart about your diet, leave out the extras. I promise it’s delicious enough without anything added.
Chili Beans
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound of ground venison (or any meat of your choice)
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes (plain)
- 1 can each of red kidney, garbanzo, and black beans
- 1 green pepper (optional)
- frozen corn (optional)
- cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, cinnamon (to taste)
Instructions
- Brown the meat you are using. Turkey is the leanest you can go for and tastes good. However, I used ground venison the other day, and a bison is a GREAT option if you want red meat but a lean option.
- While you’re browning your meat, open and dump in the two cans of tomatoes (dump it all in if you’ve got time- otherwise, if you plan to serve this within 2 hours, drain one can of the tomatoes)
- Drain and rinse your beans and add those.
- Chop your pepper into your preferred size and throw those in.
- Add 1-2 cups of frozen corn (if you’re not big into corn, then use less).
- Add the browned and drained meat to the crockpot and stir the ingredients.
- At this stage, you can use your creative abilities. Add the cumin. I do a light layer atop the entire crockpot.
- Add some cayenne. I also put a layer over about half the crockpot. Add three shakes of onion and garlic powder.
- Put a generous amount of red pepper flakes over the chili – add at your own risk. If you like spicy, shake it over the whole pot. If you prefer mild, a shake or two will do.
- And finally, my secret ingredient: cinnamon. I know. But you have to try this. I just added one shake of cinnamon to the entire pot, it adds a cozy, warm aroma and flavour to the chili, and it just makes you want to grab a bowl and snuggle up in front of a fire with your dinner.
- Mix the ingredients inside the pot and set them to low for 6-8 hours OR high for 2-3. It’s better when left for longer on low heat because the beans get nice and mushy- but it’s good either way.
This amount will serve four people easily. If you need more, add a second can of each bean – it will double your serving amount easily.
