Slow-Cooker Award-Winning Chili

This slow-cooker award-winning chili recipe won at a chili cook-off where I used to work.  Granted, there were only about a dozen entries.  And I knew all the judges and worked closely with one of them, but still . . . an award!  This recipe got a little gold trophy (plastic and fit in the palm of your hand, but still . . . a trophy!) and a $15 prize.  Plus, once you cook the meat, the whole thing only takes about 5 minutes to put together. And the best part, it only costs about $10.

To make slow-cooker award-winning chili, you’ll need:

• 1 pound of ground beef or turkey (or not, if you want vegetarian)
• 2 14.5-ounce cans of Diced Tomatoes with Green Pepper & Onion (you can go fresh, too: 2 large tomatoes, 1 medium green pepper, 1 small onion, all diced)
• 1 16-ounce can of Kidney Beans (drained & rinsed with cold water or I use Bush’s Best Chili Beans in Mild Sauce so I don’t have to drain & rinse them)
• 1 6-ounce can of Tomato Paste (I use Roasted Garlic version.  If you go with fresh garlic, put in 1 clove minced)
• 2 tablespoons of Chili Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of water (you can play around with this; add less ~ 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup ~ if you like your chili thicker)

To make slow-cooker award-winning chili, follow these directions:

1. Brown the ground meat, drain, and set aside.
2. Mix everything else together in the slow-cooker.
3. Add the meat into the slow-cooker and stir.
4. Cover and set the slow-cooker to LOW.
5. Cook for 6 hours.
6. Enjoy!

Serve with:

• Cornbread
• Cornchips
• Cheddar cheese on top
• Or go Cincinnati-style and put it over your favorite pasta.

Enjoy!

For more delicious slow-cooker recipes, click here.