It’s two more days until the official first day of fall. That means comfort food like soups, pumpkin bread and chili! We had our first batch of my Easy Classic Crock Pot Chili this past Sunday. It’s tradition to kick off the football season with it. That along with cornbread and we always have a cheese board. Do you like to watch football? Drop me a comment and let me know your team. Ours is the Broncos and the Vikings…that’s okay to have two, right?
When I was little it was tradition for my Grandma to make chili every Christmas Eve. I have no idea why, but we always did. You would think that making chili would just be a can of this and a scoop of that, but it took me years to make my own spin on it and now it is my families favorite. I like mine with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream on the top. I didn’t take a picture of it that way so you can see all the goodness in a bowl.
What do I need to make chili?
- tomato sauce
- chili spices
- chili beans
- kidney, black and northern beans
- turkey or hamburger meat
- sausage
- slivered almonds
The longest part of this recipe is cooking your meat which doesn’t take to long! After adding your tomato sauce and spices in a large crock pot, you will add the meat and give it a good stir. Then add the three types of beans after thoroughly rinsing them in a colander. I rinse them until the water runs clear. Stir all this together again and then add your cans of chili beans (you will want all the sauce for these…don’t rinse them). I then add half a can of water to help it not be so thick you can’t stir it.
After making our chili like this one day I decided it just needed an extra “kick”. In went a handful of slivered almonds and everyone loved the little crunch that it gave it! It may sound a bit weird to you, but trust me on this one. It’s so good!
Give it all once more good stir and let it simmer on low in your crock pot for a few hours to make sure it is nice and piping hot. Not to worry if you don’t have a crock pot you can make this in your favorite dutch oven or large pot. Just heat it on low on your stove and will you will get the same perfect result. It makes quite a lot and you can easily cut this in half. Also, it reheats great and you can even freeze it! I like to put it in individual serving containers (I use these HERE) and put them in the freezer. Set one out in the morning to thaw or put one in the refrigerator to defrost. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stove top.
Like I mentioned earlier, I like mine with shredded cheddar cheese and some sour cream. My son-in-law likes his with corn chips. What is your favorite addition to chili?
MORE FALL POSTS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS:
You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest & Poshmark! ♥
Subscribe to get email updates! In addition to my most recent blog posts, you’ll receive exclusive newsletter content like special sales, my newest favorite finds, and an occasional peek behind the scenes — all delivered right to your inbox.
This post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, it helps support my business (at no additional cost to you). Thank you so much, I appreciate it!
Cynthia Janine Favorite Family Chili
Ingredients
- 1 package chili seasoning I use the mild version
- 1 28 ounce can tomato sauce
- 4 15 ounce can Bushs Chili Beans in sauce pick whatever spicy suits you
- 2 15 ounce can red kidney beans
- 2 15 ounce can great northern beans
- 2 15 ounce can black beans
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1 pound ground hamburger or turkey I usually use ground turkey
- 1 pound sausage I use Jimmy Dean mild
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
Instructions
- Cook your turkey [or hamburger] meat and sausage until browned and crumbly. Drain and set aside.
- In a large crockpot [you can also cook this in a large pot/dutch oven on the stove] add tomato sauce, spice packet, chili powder & cayenne. Stir to combine.
- Add the 4 cans of Bushs Chili Beans with ALL the liquid.
- Rinse the northern, kidney and black beans in a colander under water until the water runs clear then add to the crockpot. Give it a good stir.
- Add the almonds and water. Stir again.
- Cook on high for a few hours until nice and hot stirring every hour or so. Once hot throughout, turn down the heat to low for serving. The longer it cooks the more the flavors have a change to meld together.
- Serve with cheese and sour cream [optional] At this point add whatever your favorite chili toppings are.
- Enjoy!!!
