Spicy Crockpot Chili
This spicy ground beef crockpot chili can be made in any slow cooker, it’s a little smokey, it’s nice and spicy, and the recipe makes enough for 8 hungry cowboys!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 436kcal
Equipment
- 1 sharp knife & cutting board
- 1 large skillet - 14-inches at least
- 1 spatula
- 1 crockpot - or Instant Pot
- 1 collandar - or mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds ground beef
- 3 bell peppers - diced (5 cups)
- 1 large white onion - diced (1.5 cups)
- 4 large jalapeños - diced (1 cup)
- 16 oz. spicy salsa - I use Desert Pepper brand Salsa Diablo
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 15.5 oz. can black beans
- 15.5 oz. can red kidney beans - drained
- 2.5 tbsp. chili pepper
- 2 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper - optional
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
Instructions
- Once peppers and onions are diced, keep jalapeños separate from the other diced vegetables.
- In a large (14-inch or more) skillet, sauté diced onions and peppers (not jalapeños) in 4 tbsps. olive oil.
- Let diced veggies sit for 5 minutes on MEDIUM HIGH, then stir. Wait 5 more minutes, stir, then 5 more minutes.
- After those 15 minutes, add diced jalapeños and stir them in with the rest of the peppers and onions. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes with the rest of the peppers and onions.
- Once everything is nicely brown, remove peppers and onions from skillet into a bowl.
- Add 1.5 pounds ground beef to the skillet. Wait 2-4 minutes before breaking up into chunky pieces. Once brown, pour into a colander or mesh strainer to strain fat. Add back to the skillet.
- Add 2½ tbsps. chili pepper, 2 tbsps. smoked paprika, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper. Add back onions and peppers, and mix thoroughly. Sauté for 1-2 minutes more.
- Add beef, onions and peppers into the crock pot or Instant Pot. Pour in 16 oz. spicy salsa, 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes, 15.5 oz black beans, and (after draining) 15.5 oz. red kidney beans. Stir everything together, place the lid on top and slow cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Once done, give it a taste. If you want to add more heat, start with 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper and increase by half-teaspoons to increase the heat to taste, and serve.
Notes
This chili will stay perfectly fresh for 4-5 days when stored in a covered, refrigerated container.
This chili freezes perfectly. It’s a good idea to freeze in 8-ounce portions for easy reheating. To thaw and re-heat 8-ounce portions, microwave for 3 minutes, stir, then let it heat for 3 minutes more. Stovetop should take 6-10 minutes.
The most “labor-intensive” part of this recipe is sautéing the peppers and onions, but that’s all done in less than half an hour, as long as you’ve got a nice, big skillet. I used a 14 inch skillet - if you’ve got a smaller one than I used, it will probably take you a bit longer to get the job done.
Here are a few perfect additions to pop on top of your chili:
- Corn
- Sour cream
- Chives
- Shredded pepper jack
- Pickled jalapeños
- Pickled onions
- Crushed tortillas
Nutrition
Serving: 8ounces | Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 1099mg | Potassium: 1034mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3929IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 5mg