This darn good chili recipe is not only crazy tasty, it’s amazingly simple to make and is always a fan favorite!
It’s National Chili Day. The day we look forward to all year long. The day we eat pounds of beans and later regret it. I don’t know why I love chili so much, but if there is a day dedicated to it, I am all in.
To celebrate this blessed holiday I am sharing my go to recipe for Chili. This recipe is a winner. Literally. I have won a few chili cook-offs with this baby. It’s also a winner in my eyes because it is a crock pot meal and a freezer meal! Oh, how those two qualities alone can make my heart sing. I call this recipe my “Darn Good Chili”. Why? I am so glad you asked! Because every time I make it someone usually tells me, in a southern drawl, “Ma’am that there be some darn good chili, if I don’t say so myself”. I have to agree, it is pretty darn good. I thought about calling it my pretty much perfect and amazing in every way chili recipe, but I thought that might come across a little braggy. Let me know what you think. Hope you like it.
Start by Gathering All Your Ingredients
DARN GOOD CHILI RECIPE
Cook the ground beef in a pan over med-high heat.
Finely chop celery and onion. Add these and remaining ingredients to a crock pot. When pouring contents in the crock pot, be sure not to drain the liquid from your beans. We don’t discriminate against bean juices here okay?
At this point, you can also add in some cayenne pepper to spice things up, but I never do, because let’s face it, I am a wimp. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hours.
To freeze: Mix all ingredients and place in a freezer safe zip-lock bag. Freeze.
When ready to cook, thaw then cook in crock pot.
Serve with cheese, sour cream, chips, or my Irish Brown Bread Recipe from last week.
It is a perfect complement to the chili.
Happy National Chili Day!
Below I have created a printable version of this recipe.
Darn Good Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp stalk celery finely chopped or 1/2 celery salt
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 oz can diced green chili's
- 29 oz can tomato sauce
- 29 oz can diced tomatoes
- 29 oz can kidney beans with liquid
- 29 oz can pinto beans with liquid
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbs cayenne pepper optional for added heat
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef in a pan over med-high heat. Finely chop celery and onion. Add these and remaining ingredients to a crock pot. When pouring contents in the crock pot be sure not to drain the liquid from your beans. We don't discriminate against bean juices here okay? At this point you can also add in some cayenne pepper to spice things up, but I never do, because lets face it, I am a wimp. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low 8 hours. Serve with cheese, sour cream, chips, or my Irish Brown Bread Recipe from last week. It is a perfect compliment to the chili.
Notes
Nutrition
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About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
DisappointedMama says
Disaster struck. It’s too much to fit a gallon size freezer bag. You have to drain the bean liquid to make it fit, which is the opposite of what the recipe says. Long story short there was a major spill with beans and chili liquid all over my floor. And worst, I have to precisely count nutrition information for my son, so with an unknown quantity of beans and other stuff on my floor, he couldn’t eat this. Now I have a pot of chili he can’t eat.
Please test out recipes for fit and note if the standard gallon bag won’t work.