Slow Cooker Roasted Red Pepper Chili

Hearty and flavorful, this slow cooker roasted red pepper chili has ground beef, roasted red peppers, smoked paprika, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. A delicious alternative to classic chili!

Chili will always be on rotation in my kitchen, regardless of the time of year! From slow cooker white chicken chili to slow cooker chickpea chili, there are so many ways you can get creative with it.

Filled with robust Tex Mex flavors, this chili has a few flavor upgrades to compliment the classic spices: in addition to chili powder, ground cumin and ground coriander, we boost the flavors with a splash of balsamic vinegar and the secret ingredient: cocoa powder!

Recipe video

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Ingredient notes

• beef- we are using lean ground beef for this recipe; feel free to swap for turkey if you'd like.
• white beans- sometimes called 'white navy' or 'cannellini beans', you can swap for regular kidney beans if you'd like.
• roasted red peppers- drain them, then chop into small pieces or strips.
• tomato sauce- not to be confused with ketchup, it is pureed tomatoes. Sometimes it is called passata.
• cocoa powder- use unsweetened cocoa powder; I promise, the chili does not taste like chocolate, but the cocoa helps enhance the richness and deepen all the flavors in the chili.
• balsamic vinegar- I often find that after long cook times in the slow cooker, a squeeze of something acidic helps revive the flavors. For this chili, we use balsamic vinegar, which compliments the beef, tomatoes and roasted red peppers beautifully.

Recipe notes

Start by sautéing the beef

The first step in this recipe is to brown the beef in a frying pan. We do this for a few reasons: Firstly, it's thought to improve the flavors of the beef, though I'm not sure you'd notice a difference flavor-wise in this flavorful chili.

Secondly, beef can sometimes release a lot of fat, which we can easily drain off the frying pan, but becomes difficult to remove when the beef is cooked right in the chili.

Finally, browning the beef helps improve its texture by giving it a chew. I've found when cooking ground beef right in the slow cooker that it is softer, and I do miss that chewy 'meaty' texture.

Cook low and slow

Chili is one of those recipes that really benefits from a long, slow cook time. This helps all the flavors come together, resulting in a more flavorful meal. For this chili, we cook on the lowest setting of your slow cooker for 8 hours.

I tend to avoid using the 'high' setting on my slow cooker whenever possible, as this can bring the mixture to a vigorous boil, and can sometimes make certain types of meat become tougher rather than softer.

Add acid at the end

One of my all time favorite slow cooker tips is to add an acid ingredient (think: lime juice or vinegar) after a long cook time. The acidic ingredients really help 'wake up' the flavors of all the other ingredients in the slow cooker. For this recipe, we stir in a few teaspoons of balsamic vinegar to do the trick.

Don't forget to taste and add salt as needed!

Storage

Chili keeps great, and even tastes better on day 2! Here's how to safely store and reheat your chili:

• fridge- cool completely, then store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
• freezer- cool completely, then store in a plastic or glass jar, souper cube, or in a meal prep container. Freeze for up to 3 months
• thaw- in the fridge overnight, or heat gently in a pot over low heat
• reheat- in a pot on the stovetop over medium heat; alternatively you can reheat in the microwave until steaming hot

Food safety tip- do not reheat your food more than once

Find my favorite freezer containers here!

More slow cooker recipes

• Smoky Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
• Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Crockpot Taco Soup
• Vegan Slow Cooker Peanut Stew
• Thai Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Slow Cooker Black Bean Sweet Potato Quinoa Stew

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Slow Cooker Roasted Red Pepper Chili

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 hours hrs

Total Time: 10 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

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Print Rate

Hearty and flavorful, this slow cooker roasted red pepper chili has ground beef, roasted roasted red peppers, smoked paprika, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. A delicious alternative to classic chili!

8

Ingredients

• ▢ 1.5 lb Ground Beef Lean; see note 1
• ▢ 1 onion diced
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 17 oz jar roasted red peppers 500 mL; drained & chopped
• ▢ 28 oz diced tomatoes juices included
• ▢ 23 oz tomato sauce 680 mL; see note 2
• ▢ 19 oz white beans 540 mL drained and rinsed; see note 3
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

after cooking:

• ▢ 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• ▢ additional salt to taste

Instructions 

• Cook beef in a pan over medium heat, stirring to break it up for 8-10 minutes, or until no pink remains. Drain any grease from the beef as you transfer it to the base of a slow cooker.
• Add all remaining ingredients and stir up.
• Cook on the lowest setting for 8-10 hours.
• Stir in the balsamic vinegar, taste and add salt as needed.
• Enjoy!

Tips:

1- ground beef may be swapped for ground turkey

2- tomato sauce can sometimes be called passata, it does not refer to ketchup!

3- white beans can be called white kidney beans, cannelini beans or great northern beans

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheat

Heat in a pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring as needed, until steaming hot.

Reheat single portions in the microwave until steaming hot.

Toppings

Top with your favorite chili toppings:

• cheese
• sour cream
• avocado
• tortilla chips
• green onions

 

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8 batch, Calories: 260kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 979mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 10g

Author: Annie Holmes

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

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