Slow Cooker Beefy Three-Bean Chili

This Slow Cooker Beefy Three-Bean is so rich and hearty and full of flavor, it’s sure to become a favorite recipe!

Hi, friends! It’s Samantha from Five Heart Home, and I’m so happy to be visiting y’all today for Slow Cooker Sundays!

I’ve been a huge fan of slow cooker recipes for a long time, as they often come to my rescue in getting a home-cooked meal on the table when I’m having a crazy day — and let’s face it…that’s just about every day! But I have a particularly special place in my heart for slow cooker dinner recipes made with real, unprocessed ingredients, seeing as how I just recently released an entire cookbook of them. And today, I’m excited to be sharing one of those recipes with you all!

Beefy Three-Bean Chili is actually one of my family’s favorite recipes from the cookbook. Where we live, “true Texas chili” is made with big chunks of beef and no beans. This chili, on the other hand, is loaded with not only ground beef, but three different types of beans — pintos, kidneys, and black beans. It’s hearty, it’s comforting, and it’s full of flavor!

This recipe comes together in a matter of minutes. It’s as easy as browning a pound of brown beef and tossing it in the slow cooker with the aforementioned beans, garlic, diced tomatoes, and a perfect balance of chili seasonings. I like to add a bottle of dark Mexican beer for depth of flavor (although you may certainly substitute beef broth), and I toss in a minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce for heat with a touch of smokiness.

It’s actually easy to customize the spice level of your chili by adding your chipotle accordingly. For mild chili, simply stir a spoonful of adobo sauce into your chili and forgo the chipotle pepper itself. For slightly spicy chili, slice open a chipotle, scrape out and discard the seeds, and then mince up the pepper to add to the chili. For chili with more kick, add some extra adobo sauce, leave the chipotle seeds intact, or increase the number of peppers used. Do you think you can handle the heat?! 😉

One of my favorite things about chili is dressing it up with lots of yummy toppings. My crew enjoys this Beefy Three-Bean Chili with a dollop of sour cream, a pinch of grated cheddar, and a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro on top. But feel free to go crazy with your favorite garnishes — diced avocado, crumbled cotija cheese, a squeeze of lime…the world is your chili bowl!

So who’s ready to ring in crisp fall weather with a steamy bowl of chili? This beef- and bean-loaded slow cooker version is not only tasty and satisfying, but it makes the whole house smell incredible as it pretty much cooks itself. Hope your whole family loves it as much as mine does!

Slow Cooker Beefy Three-Bean Chili

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Author: Kristin

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce minced (remove the seeds for less heat)
• 1 teaspoon adobo sauce more or less to taste
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted (or regular) diced tomatoes
• 1 12-ounce bottle dark beer, such as Shiner Bock or Negro Modelo (or you may substitute beef broth)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• For serving: sour cream shredded cheddar/Monterrey Jack/Mexican-blend cheese, chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

• Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until it is cooked through. Drain the grease and season with the salt and pepper to taste.
• In a large slow cooker, combine the cooked ground beef, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, chiptole pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, diced tomatoes, beer, chili powder, cumin, coriander, Mexican oregano, and paprika. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Adjust the seasonings with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a pinch of shredded cheese, and a sprinkle of cilantro.

Thanks so much for inviting me over today, Kristin, and I had such a great time visiting with you, Yellow Bliss Road readers! If you enjoy quick and easy, family-friendly, real food recipes, I’d love for you to come visit me sometime over at Five Heart Home. 🙂

For more Slow Cooker Sunday recipes, try these:

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

Slow Cooker Asian Chicken

Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

For more slow cooker recipes, go HERE and for the recipe index go HERE.