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Weeknight Beef and Three-Bean Chili
Andre Lewis

Weeknight Beef and Three-Bean Chili

Three cans of beans stretch two pounds of beef into ten real bowls without making the pot feel cheap. Browning the meat and spices first is the difference between deep chili and boiled hamburger soup. This freezes cleanly for the next night nobody wants to cook.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 10
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs 85-percent lean ground beef
  • 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup chili powder
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
  • 15 oz canned tomato sauce
  • 15 oz canned kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 15 oz canned pinto beans drained and rinsed
  • 15 oz canned black beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 2 tsp kosher salt

Method
 

  1. Brown the beef and onion in a large skillet for 9 to 10 minutes, breaking the meat into fine crumbles, until it reaches 160°F.
  2. Drain the fat and stir in the garlic, chili powder and cumin for 1 minute.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart crockpot and add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, all three beans, broth and salt.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.
  5. Stir from the edges and cook uncovered on high for 15 minutes if the chili does not mound briefly on a spoon.