Chili recipes are a dime a dozen – but I thought I would post this one because it’s noteworthy. We have been cooking chili, both on the stove and in the crockpot for years. Chili is really just (for us) an amalgamation of what you have on hand at the time. You use the basics (meat, tomatoes, beans), and then whatever else you have goes in the pot as well. This recipe started like that, but I would make it exactly this way in the future – because it turned out so well (and tasted so good).
This is what you’ll need for ingredients:
- Crockpot (of course)
- About 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (90/10) or ground beef (90/10) – organic of either is better
- 1 – 28oz can or crushed tomatoes
- 1 – 14.5oz can of petite diced tomatoes
- 1 can Cannelini beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 can light red Kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 2 med green peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 diced celery heart (about 1 cup)
- about 2-3 cups organic chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tsp Sugar in the Raw
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp Lawry’s seasoned salt
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 4 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp dried cilantro flakes
- handful of shredded cheddar jack cheese
Basically you’re chopping up all the veggies and throwing them in the crockpot. Then add the tomatoes and beans. Take the meat and break it up as small as you can get it into chunks with your hand and drop in the crockpot as well. Add the seasonings, stir everything up, and then add the chicken stock last. Add as much as you need to bring the level up to within an inch and a half of the top. This is usually about 2-3 cups chicken stock for me, use whatever you need. Cook for about 6 hours or so on high in the crockpot, a little longer surely won’t hurt it any. When you serve it, add a handful (to taste) of shredded cheddar jack cheese.
The thing that makes this chili taste different than all the other ones I make is the hand breaking up of the meat raw into the crockpot. In years past I had always made chili by cooking the meat first, and dumping it into the crockpot (already cooked) with the veggies. It was never dry (because it’s in the chili), but I see now that it was overcooked and had a different texture. You’ll see what I mean if you make this recipe, because the meat (whatever kind you use) has a “melt in your mouth” texture. It took me back to my Grandma Pratt, because I had forgotten that for years she made beef vegetable soup (with ground beef) – and she had always broken up the ground beef with her hands to go raw into the stockpot. I had forgotten how good that tasted….until today!
