The Best Crock-Pot Chili Ever

Fall is truly my favorite time of year

Fall has definitely arrived, the leaves are falling, PSLs are back at Starbucks and pumpkins are everywhere. Fall is truly my favorite time of year. The smells, the food! For me, Fall is a time for comfort foods, and food to warm you inside and out. One of my all-time favorite comfort foods is homemade chili and cornbread… I mean is there a more perfect meal on a cold day?

I have shared this recipe before but I still get requests all the time for it, so I thought it was time to share it again. To make things easy I like to make my chili in my crock-pot. I cook it low and slow so all the flavors meld together. I like to stop at our local farm stand or organic market and purchased freshly picked green peppers, onions, and jalapeño peppers…. nothing better than fresh locally grown produce! The rest of the ingredients we just picked up at the local grocery store.

For your enjoyment, here is the best Crock-Pot Chili Recipe EVER!!!

1 1/2 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced (1 cup)
1 jalapeño, large finely diced
1 green bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
2 carrots, shredded (1/2 cup)
1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
3 1/2 cups water
3 teaspoons beef base
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotles
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (15.5-ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Heat up Crock Pot on medium-low or low. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the turkey, and cook until browned. Add turkey to the Crock-pot. Add all remaining ingredients to the Crock-pot and stir completely. Leave cooking in Crock-pot on Low for 6 hours, Medium/Low for 4 hours, or on High for 3 hours.

** Remember to taste the broth as you go and see if it is seasoned to your liking. On the dry ingredients, I just estimated what I put in there, I tasted the broth throughout the cooking till I got the flavor perfect. I was trying to be a little healthier so I used turkey but you can definitely use ground beef instead. If you like your chili extra spicy you can add more adobo sauce or add cayenne. The next day leftovers taste really good on top of a burger, hot dog, or potato, or added to your favorite macaroni and cheese for chili mac! Cooking is all about experimenting!