Crockpot Chili

Source: http://arismenu.com/crockpot-chili/
PointsPlus: 12 servings @ 6 points each for full recipe
Drew Rating: 4.5/5
Sara Rating: 5/5

Modifications: Halved the recipe except for the beef and tomatoes, used small can of tomato paste for fire roasted tomatoes, cooked on high for 4.5 hours and low for 1.5 hours

Notes: I am glad we halved this recipe because even cut this makes a lot. We have a pretty large crockpot and halved it filled up half the pot so the whole recipe would have been up to the brim. Even halved it fed Sara and I for three meals. We didn't exactly halve it either since we didn't halve the meat. The grocery doesn't sell less than 1lb of ground beef prepackaged so it would require going to counter to have them split a pack. We didn't think it would hurt with a little extra meat and were right, it was good. We also forgot to pick up a can of the fire roasted tomatoes so we just used a whole 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes and a small can of tomato paste. It turned out nice and very tomato-y but when I make this again I will try to remember to buy the can of fire roasted tomatoes since I think it will add a nice flavor. One other note was we started this chili late, like 1PM, so we cooked it on high for almost 5 hours and then switched it to low. There was a little stuck on the bottom but overall I think this was fine. The last step of the recipe was to add water or beef broth as required. Since we had extra crushed tomatoes which were a little watery, we didn't need to add either as the consistency was fine. As far as the recipe goes, it was super easy to make as most chili's are. The taste was great! Now, granted, this is a no frills basic chili recipe so don't expect anything crazy. I call this a "foundation" recipe. By itself it was very good, but it is a good recipe to base experimentation off of. Want add something crazy? Try a different protein like turkey or tofu? Habaneros instead of jalapenos? Go for it! And we will definitely be going for this recipe again in the future!

Sara’s Comments: Super comfort food for me. I always eat my chili with lime tortilla chips and this was no exception. It adds great flavor, salt, and crunch, and I don’t need to wash a spoon. I will say it was pretty much just like every other crockpot chili recipe we’ve made (and we’ve made several), but that’s a good thing since they’ve all tasted great.