The Easiest Crock Pot Chili

Create a hearty family dinner with this easy crock pot chili recipe. Made with lean ground beef, tomatoes, and pinto beans, it's quick to throw together and cooks in your slow cooker all day, so dinner will be ready when you are. Serve the chili in warm bowls with a side of warm cornbread and butter for a complete meal.

By using a purchased chili seasoning mix and canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and pinto beans, this delicious ground beef dinner couldn't be more simpler to create. It requires eight to 10 hours of cooking in a slow cooker set on low and is a perfect set-it-and-forget-it dish.

If you like, you can use a homemade chili seasoning mix. It requires a few common spices, including chili powder, minced onion, garlic powder, oregano, and salt and pepper. This allows you to control the ingredients, adjust the flavor, and keep some on hand for the next batch of chili. For an equivalent measurement to the average envelope of store-bought seasoning, use about 1/3 cup of your homemade mix.

One critical step to this recipe is browning the ground beef. By precooking the beef before adding it to the slow cooker, you'll sear in the flavor, improve the meat's texture, and be able to drain off any grease. The low temperature of a crock pot simply cannot replicate these results, even over the hours-long cooking time. As a bonus, the sautéed onions that are cooked along with the beef will add flavor to your chili and make it even better than if you were to use raw onions.