Today was a rainy day and a Monday (cue the Carpenters song), so I was feeling chili for our #SlowCookerMonday. I had this recipe saved on my Pinterest chili board, and thought the abundance of veggies sounded delicious.
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups diced yellow onion
½ cup chopped celery
1 ½ cups diced carrots, peeled
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 medium zucchini, diced
15 ounce can tomato purée or tomato sauce
15 ounce can diced tomatoes
Instructions
In a large pan, brown the beef, garlic, and onion over medium heat, until the beef is cooked through. Transfer the meat mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker with the celery, carrots, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper, zucchini, tomato purée, and diced tomatoes.
Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours, until the chili is thickened.
What we did to make it uniquely our own
1. I added an 8 oz package of fresh sliced mushrooms to the pan with the garlic & onions and sauteed till the onions were starting to get translucent. At that point, I dumped the garlic, onion, and mushrooms in the slow cooker and browned the beef in the same pan. There just wasn't room in the pan for the beef with the mushrooms in there. I chose to add the mushrooms to add additional earthiness to the dish.
2. I added a 4 oz can of Hatch hot green chiles to add some more flavor and heat.
3. I got a late start in fixing everything, so the chili only cooked on high for 4 hours. It tasted delicious, but 4 1/2 to 5 hours might be the optimum time to get the veggies a little softer.
4. I made some cornbread from a box mix from Zatarain's - Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread. Super easy and had a slightly sweet flavor which paired nicely with this chili - and it crumbled well when added to the chili!
Our thoughts
We loved the amount & variety of the veggies in this chili! Such a fresh flavor with just the right amount of subtle heat. Cornbread was the perfect side, but I think some wholegrain chips would be great to dip with leftovers. This recipe will definitely be in our chili rotation for the future!
