Short-Cut Crock Pot Chili

Chili is an important dish at my house. It allows for flexibility and versatility, is always delicious, better as leftovers, AND freezes well for individual heat and eat meals later. Sometimes I have a specific plan in mind, and spend additional time and effort browning meet and veggies for my Classic Beef Chili or my Spicy Turkey Chili (that you can get the recipe for here), and sometimes I just chop up what I have around and let the crock pot deal with it, like I did here.

This recipe came about because I found a package of little smoked sausage links in the freezer that I needed to use as well as a bunch of onions, peppers, and garlic that were a little past their prime. I wrote it down to share because it turned out so delicious, like an elevated chili dog reimagined, and required absolutely no effort on my part except chopping some ingredients and opening a few cans!

Ingredients:
– 5 small white onions, chopped 1/4 inch dice (I used 4 white and 1 red)
– 4 bell peppers, chopped 1/2 inch dice (I used 2 red, 1 orange, & 1 yellow)
– 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
– 2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I used 1 can red and 1 can dark red)
– 2 cans diced tomatoes
– 28 oz smoked sausage, cut into bite sized pieces (I used Lit’l Smokies)
– 1 tsp kosher salt
– 1/2 tsp black pepper
– 1 Tbsp Chili Powder (preferably homemade, get the easy recipe here)

How I make it:
– Put all ingredients in your crock pot or other slow cooker, stir well, and cook on high 6 hours or until onions are completely translucent.

Tips:
– Substitute different tips of peppers, onions, or tomatoes depending on what you have available and what you need to use.
– Top with freshly chopped scallions, herbs or Gremolata (get the recipe here).
– Serve with additional garnishes that go well with chili, like lime wedges, grated cheese, sour cream or Guacamole (get Easy Guacamole recipe here).

I recommend using this recipe as a loose guideline to encourage you to experiment with different ingredients based on what you have around, helping you to reduce food waste in your kitchen and get the most out of your grocery budget!

Happy Eating!