This recipe is perfect for busy days (soccer games for my family!) when you want a hot dinner ready without spending hours in the kitchen. This is my favorite meal to make when I need to make dinner and don’t have time. I always make sure I have the ingredients on hand, so I can make it when the time comes.

The best part? It’s loaded with protein and fiber, thanks to the three types of beans, and it’s super easy to change up according to your taste.

What You’ll Need

Take a look below at all the chili ingredients you’ll want to have for this recipe.

• Beans for Chili
  • Light Red Kidney Beans
  • Dark Red Kidney Beans
  • Chili Beans (red beans in chili sauce)
• Sweet Onion
  • I prefer sweet onions diced and sautéed with the hamburger for the best flavor of chili. The sweetness of the onion compliments the savory flavor of the hamburger meat, and it makes a delicious combination.
  • I like to add a little salt and pepper to the onions while they are cooking, and occasionally, I’ll even add a bit of garlic. The result is a tasty beef that is full of flavor. You can also do sliced onions if you’d prefer too.
• Garlic (minced or fresh is fine)
  • I get my minced garlic from Sam’s Club in bulk. This minced garlic is a great alternative to freshly minced garlic, stores easily in a refrigerator, and is always ready to be used when a recipe calls for it.
• Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  • Adding fire roasted tomatoes to the chili gives it a richer flavor. The smokiness of the tomatoes pairs well with the spices in the chili, and makes the chili taste even more delicious. I highly recommend using roasted tomatoes for this dish—it makes a big difference.
• Chili Seasoning
  • You can make this chili dish with chili seasoning that you can buy in a store or make yourself. Chili seasoning mix usually contains chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt.
• Lean Ground Beef
  • I typically use ground beef in chili that is 93/7 lean, but 85/15 beef will also work. It will need drained of excess fat.

How to Make It

1. Get Everything Ready: Rinse and drain your beans, chop the onion and garlic, and gather your spices.
2. Throw It All In: Add everything to your slow cooker and stir it up.
3. Let It Cook: Cook on low for 6–8 hours, or high for 3–4 hours. That’s it!
4. Serve It Up: Spoon it into bowls and add your favorite toppings—cheese, sour cream, avocado, or a little cilantro.

What I love about this recipe is how flexible it is. You can add fresh ground turkey meat if you like instead, make it extra spicy with jalapeños, or even throw in some extra veggies you have on hand.

This chili is perfect for a cozy dinner, meal prep, or even a game-day crowd. Once you try it, it’s sure to become a go-to recipe in your kitchen!

3 Bean Chili

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Make this bean chili in a slow cooker, which is perfect for an easy dinner.

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Ingredients

• 1 Packet (1.25) Chili seasoning or 5 tbsp of homemade chili seasoning (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt pepper)
• 1 Can (15.5 oz) Dark red kidney beans
• 1 Can (15.5 oz) Light red kidney beans
• 1 Can (15.5 oz) Chili Beans
• 1 Can (14.5 oz) Diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 1/2 diced Small yellow onion
• 1 tsp Minced garlic
• 1 pound Lean ground beef

Instructions

1. Sauté the beef and diced onions in a skillet, then add the minced garlic to the pan. (You may need to drain the fat from the beef, depending on the percentage of fat that is in the ground meat)
2. Mix the 3 bean cans, tomatoes, seasoning as well as the ground beef mixture into the crock pot / slow cooker.
3. Cook on high in the slow cooker for 3–4 hours, or on low for 6–8 hours for some of the best tasting chili! 

Notes

• Serve with your choice of toppings such as shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, sour cream, corn chips and more!
• I do not drain or rinse the beans, but if you’d like to do that, you may.

Did you make this recipe?

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