Easy Slow Cooker Chili for Two

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4–5 hours on HIGH or 8–9 hours on LOW

Total Time: About 5–9 hours

Servings: 2


Ingredients

  • ½ pound ground beef
  • ½ of an 8-oz can tomato sauce
  • ½ to ⅔ cup dried red beans
  • ½ package chili seasoning mix
  • 3 ½ cups water

Directions

  1. Brown the ground beef in a nonstick skillet, then drain any excess fat.
  2. Rinse the dried red beans.
  3. Add the browned meat, beans, tomato sauce, chili seasoning, and water to the slow cooker.
  4. Cook on HIGH for 4–5 hours or LOW for 8–9 hours (the dried beans take a long time to soften).
  5. Stir about every 2 hours and check the liquid level. Add more water if needed.

Substitutions

  1. Swap ground beef for ground turkey or sausage.
  2. Substitute diced tomatoes for the tomato sauce.
  3. Use ½ to 1 full can of red beans instead of dried beans.
    • If using canned beans, cook only 4 hours on LOW or 2 hours on HIGH.
  4. Replace red beans with kidney beans or black beans.

Tips

  1. Starting the chili on HIGH for the first hour helps shorten the cooking time if you get a late start.
  2. The longer it simmers, the better it tastes.
  3. You will likely have leftovers — chili tastes even better the next day.

Serving Suggestions

  • Toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions
  • Add-ins: crumble cornbread into the bowl before adding chili, or serve with crackers

Equipment

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