by This has been my favorite chili recipe for 30 years. When I first moved out to Colorado with my friend Sue in 1989, I bought a small Better Crocker paperback cookbook. I think the chili recipe might have been one of the only recipes I made from this cookbook, but everyone always loved it. I even won a Chili contest at work in 1996 with this recipe.
My poor cookbook just recently broke in half, so I realized I should add this recipe on the blog. I do change up my version slightly- the original recipe actually calls for 1 pound of ground beef, but I have always cut it in half ( probably because I’ve never been much of a meat eater, and a full pound with only one can of beans and one can of tomatoes just seemed like too much). But if you like really “beefy” chili, then increase the meat from 1/2 lb to 1 lb. The original recipe was also a stovetop version, but I have always just thrown all the ingredients in a crockpot, and let it cook all day while I work.
Once I stopped eating meat, I changed this recipe into a Vegetarian/Vegan Chili, and it is just as good! Sometime I will add carrots or red pepper to the chili to add some veggies in, but it’s also perfectly good with just the beans, tomatoes and spices! 😃
This meal works perfectly for families that have both Carnivores and Vegetarians… I make 2 small crockpots of Chili: 1 with this recipe and 1 Vegan Chili. It makes plenty for a dinner, and at least 2 (maybe 3) leftover lunches for Glenn and I.
Chili Con Carne
Ingredients
- ½ lb Ground Beef
- ½ Cup Chopped Onion
- 1 tsp Chopped Garlic (2 cloves)
- 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano Leaves
- 1 tsp Cocoa Powder
- ½- 1 tsp Red Pepper Sauce
- 16 ounce Can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 15 ½ ounce Can Red Kidney Beans, undrained
Instructions
- Cook and stir ground beef, onion, and garlic in small skillet until beef is brown; drain.
- Pour beef mixture into a small (2 qt) crockpot.
- Stir in remaining ingredients.
- Simmer on low 6-8 hours (or high 3-4 hours).
