This is a delicious and fairly easy to assemble dish that is always a family pleaser. Super flavorful without being super spicy, and the bacon adds not only a really nice taste, but also that little bit of bite beanless chili is usually missing.
I love making this on days when I have a lot going on and not a lot of time to cook. And with the seasons changing, there is nothing more comforting than coming home to a steaming bowl of delicious chili.
PrintSlow Cooker Beef and Bacon Chili
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Chili, Beef, Mains
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 lb (16 oz/ 464 g) bacon, chopped into small pieces
- 2 lb (32 oz/ 907 g) ground beef, 75/25
- 1 large can (28 oz/ 794 g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium (approx. 3.9 oz/ 110 g) yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 c (8 of oz/ 237 ml) beef broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, begin cooking bacon pieces over medium-high heat.
- When the bacon is about halfway done, add the ground beef to the skillet and continue to cook, stirring to break the beef up, until the beef is completely cooked through.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked meats to your slow cooker, discard any liquid left in the pan.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir very well to distribute all the seasonings.
- Put the lid on and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Serve hot, garnished with cheddar and sliced scallions (as shown), or as desired.
Notes
Per 1/8 of the recipe: 633 cal, 52.5 g protein, 41.1 g fat, 11.7 g carbs, 2.8 g fiber, 8.9 g NET carbs
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 recipe
Keywords: Slow cooker, chili, beef and bacon
Sitara says
why would you discard the fats left in the pan? keto is not a low fat WOL
Mandy Pagano says
You certainly don’t have to. The liquid, however, is going to be a lot of water content that’s cooked out of the ground beef. If you wanted to add that to the pot, that’s fine. It would make it a little thinner and a bit greasy for a soup, though.
Sue says
What would be your guess on what 1/8 of the recipe is cup wise ?
Sarah says
I made this recipe and used a 2 cup scoop and it made 5 portions. My guess is a serving is roughly 1.25 – 1.5 cups.
Shirley says
Made this recipe and used ground venison in place of ground beef. I didn’t discard the bacon grease since the venison is so lean. The chili had great flavor–will definitely make this again!
Amy Beard says
My new favorite chili recipe! The only thing I did differently was switched out tomatoes for Rotel tomatoes with green chilies because it’s all I had on hand. Since I did that, I omitted the cayenne. Thanks for another awesome recipe, Mandy!
★★★★★
Kayli says
This chili is a hit with everyone, including my kids that don’t normally like chili. It’s delicious and easy to make.
★★★★★
Lisa says
Fantastic! This recipe is so good. I added a couple serrano peppers. I omitted the broth. Left in the bacon grease and thickened with some xanthan gum. Mandy’s seasoning recommendations are spot on!
★★★★★