Some people like meat in their chili, some prefer just beans and then there are some, like my husband and me, who likes both meat and beans. But we’ve been trying to eat less meat lately so I made up a batch using 4 different types of canned beans we had in the pantry and much to my husband’s surprise, he didn’t even miss the meat. I made this again when we had company over and I cooked up some beef in a separate pan so it could be added to the chili if desired, which is a great way to offer both vegan and meat options. I did kind of make everyone sample just the bean version first and everyone said it tasted delicious and it was so full of flavor, they would have eaten it without adding the beef.

I personally enjoyed this without any toppings but I did offer corn muffins, sour cream, shredded cheddar, jalapeno, and onion for the others. This seriously took me less than 5 minutes to throw together and then I just sat back and let the crock pot do all the work.

Delicious, easy, full of fiber and protein, and less than $10 for 6 servings…

*For those of you with an eagle-eye, when I took a picture of my ingredients, I forgot one of the can of beans.

SPICY 4-BEAN CROCK POT CHILI –

Prep Time: 5 minutes          Cook Time: 8 hours        Serves: 6 for $7.84

Ingredients:

• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 15 1/2-oz. can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz. can chili beans
• 1 10-oz. can enchilada sauce
• 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 4 1/2-oz. can chopped or diced green chiles
• 1 red or green  bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• pinch each of Kosher salt and black pepper

Topping Ideas: corn muffins, shredded cheddar, sour cream, jalapeno slices, chopped onion

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and mix well.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

*Pricing …all canned goods were store brand, onions bought in 3 pound bag, which is usually cheaper than buying by the pound.