Hearty Slow Cooker Beef and Black Bean Chili with Toppings Bar

There’s something magical about a slow cooker. Toss in your ingredients, walk away and hours later you’re rewarded with a deeply flavorful, comforting meal. This beef and black bean chili is no exception. It simmers low and slow with garlic, green pepper, tomatoes and a duo of spice blends, creating a rich, hearty base that’s perfect for loading up with your favorite toppings.

Set up a chili bar with scallion greens, diced tomatoes, tortilla chips, smoky red pepper crema and shredded cheddar cheese so everyone can build their own bowl. It’s an ideal big-batch dinner for busy weeknights or casual gatherings.

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Ingredients

0.5 cup Cheddar CheeseView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 unit Tomato PasteView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1.5 ounce Blue Corn Tortilla ChipsView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 unit Crushed TomatoesView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

20 ounce Ground BeefView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

4 tablespoon Smoky Red Pepper CremaView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 unit Long Green PepperView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 clove GarlicView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

5 unit Beef Stock ConcentrateView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

2 unit Black BeansView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 unit TomatoView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

2 unit ScallionsView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 tablespoon Mexican Spice BlendView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 tablespoon Southwest Spice BlendView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

2 teaspoon (tsp) Cooking OilView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

teaspoon (tsp) SaltView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

teaspoon (tsp) Black PepperView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

Instructions

1. Wash and dry all produce. Halve, core and dice the green pepper into ½-inch pieces. Peel and mince or grate the garlic. Trim and thinly slice the scallions, separating the whites from the greens. Place the scallion greens in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.
2. Set a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker to the sauté/brown setting and add a large drizzle of oil. Once hot, add the ground beef, diced green pepper, garlic, scallion whites, Southwest Spice Blend, Mexican Spice Blend and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat into pieces, until browned and mostly cooked through, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until slightly darkened, 1-2 minutes. (If your slow cooker doesn’t have a sauté setting, use a large pan over medium-high heat, then transfer to the slow cooker.)
3. If there’s excess grease in the slow cooker, carefully pour or spoon it out. Stir in the beef stock concentrates, black beans (with their liquid) and crushed tomatoes. Cover and set the slow cooker to high; cook until the tomatoes break down, the beef is fully cooked and the flavors meld, 4-6 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. When the chili is ready, dice the tomato into ½-inch pieces. Lightly crush the tortilla chips in the bag. Serve the chili family-style with bowls of scallion greens, diced tomato, tortilla chips, smoky red pepper crema and shredded cheddar cheese, letting everyone build their own chili bowl.

Recipe Tips

FAQ

Can I use a different type of meat?

Yes, ground turkey or chicken can be substituted for ground beef. Adjust cooking time as needed.

How can I make this chili vegetarian?

Replace the ground beef with an extra can of black beans or a plant-based ground meat substitute and use vegetable stock concentrate instead of beef.

What if I don't have a slow cooker?

You can make this chili in a large pot on the stovetop. Brown the meat and vegetables, then simmer covered on low heat for about 1-1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.