Everyone has their favorite chili recipe so best chili ever may be a bit bold…but that is what my husband said when he tried this chili so I am going with it! I made mine in an Instapot but you can definitely make this on the stove or in a slow cooker.
I like making a huge batch when I make chili as it makes a great lunch the next day, or a super yummy dinner with little effort the following night. Ideas for this super yummy dinner could include chili cheese fries, chili stuffed baked potatoes, chili quesadilla or burrito, chili cheese mac, chili pizza the list goes on and on…tell us your favorite!
I started my chili with dried beans instead of canned, feel free to sub 2 cans of beans if you wish. To cook the beans I put one cup of dry beans in the Instapot with 3 cups of water. Using the manual setting with the valve set to pressure I pressure cooked them for 25 minutes, then manually released the pressure. Set beans and cooking liquid aside. If you need directions on how to cook the beans without an Instapot, directions can be found here. Turn off cooker and turn it back on to sauté. Once the pot is hot, drizzle in a couple tablespoons of olive oil then brown your ground beef and sauté the onions in the pot together. Since I use grassfed beef I generally don’t need to drain the fat off, if you need to, please do so once the meat has browned. Now toss in the garlic and sweet potatoes along with herbs and spices. Let these guys cook together for a minute or two, then simply dump the rest of the ingredients into the pot, including the beans and bean water. Reseal Instapot and using manual setting cook for 15 minutes. Let natural release and hold until ready to serve or go ahead and release the pressure manually after a couple of minutes if you have a hungry crew who can’t wait. Be sure to check for seasoning before serving, as the tomatoes, and possibly your beans contain salt, seasoning at the end will give you more control of your finished dish.
Alternately, for slow cooker preparation, do all the browning/sautéing on your stovetop, then mix everything into the your slow cooker and set on low heat for up to 8 hours.
Top with shredded cheese, raw onion, avocado, tortilla chips, cilantro…whatever you please, and enjoy! Cheers!
Ingredients
- 2-28oz cans of diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 Tablespoon thyme
- 2 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 Tablespoon ancho chili powder or 1 chipotle diced from a can of chipotles in adobo
- 6 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes
- 1 cup dried bean blend (or two cans of beans, black beans, kidney beans...)
- 1.5lbs ground beef (preferably grassfed)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, diced onion, avocado, or your favorite chili toppings
Instructions
- To cook beans in Instapot:
- Place one cup of rinsed and picked over beans into pan with 3 cups of cool water.
- Using manual setting cook beans for 25 minutes on high pressure.
- Allow to natural release for 2 minutes, then manually release the balance of the pressure.
- For the Chili:
- Turn Instapot on to saute high.
- Once the pot is hot, drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and add the ground beef, onions, garlic, herbs and spices.
- Cook until your beef is cooked through, then drain if necessary. (if draining add spices after draining).
- Add sweet potatoes and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the balance of the ingredients including the beans and cooking liquid.
- Seal lid and set to manual high pressure15 minutes.
- Once your cooking time is over allow to natural release for a couple of minutes, then feel free to manually release if needed, or alternately allow to natural release and hold warm until ready to serve.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
- Top your bowls with desired toppings, and enjoy!
- Alternately if using slow cooker, brown beef with onions in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Drain if necessary, then add garlic, herbs, spices, sweet potatoes, cooking an additional 2 minutes. Pour meat/veggies into slow cooker along with balance of ingredients and cook for a minimum of 4 hours on low or up to 8 hours.
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