5 Bean Chili Recipe- from a crockpot or the stovetop.

When the weather gets cold and blustery, a pot of chili for dinner is the perfect comfort food. It's warm and hearty. I started adding different kinds of beans to my chili years ago because I'm not a huge fan of kidney beans. I like the variety of flavors that this combination of different beans brings to the chili.

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 large onion chopped ~ 1 to 1 1/2 cups
  
• 1 (29 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed or a can of Chili beans- don't drain.
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can Kuner's black beans with cumin and spices beans- don't drain- you can use a can of regular black beans instead.
  
• 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp  dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp salt- you may need to add more
  
• 1 TBS cumin
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup chili powder
• 2 tsp of paprika- smoked if you have it- if not them sweet is fine 
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
  

Brown the ground beef and the chopped onions until the meat is cooked through and the onions are translucent. Drain the excess fat off. Add  all of the spices except for the sugar and saute with the drained meat and onions for 1 minute. ****If you want to cook this in a crockpot, jump down to the stars below.
Spices like chili powder and cumin are fat soluble so they will release more of their flavors when exposed to fat.
Add the the crushed tomatoes and the beans to the meat mixture and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer and cover. Let simmer for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. Add the brown sugar and simmer for an additional 5 minutes and serve. We like to eat out chili over rice or cornbread with grated cheddar, and a dollop of sour cream on top.

****If you are using a crock pot, transfer the browned meat, onion and spices mixture to the crock pot.
Add the the crushed tomatoes and the beans to the meat mixture and set the crock pot on low. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, you may have to add a bit more liquid in the form of tomato juice or even water if it starts looking too dry. Add the brown sugar and cook for an additional 5 minutes and serve. Sorry this picture looks kind of anemic for some reason. It looked fine before I uploaded it. Sorry!!

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For more great crock pot recipes- head on over to Dining with Debbie for Crock Pot Wednesday.