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Flavorful Slow Cooker Chili with Espresso and Cocoa

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A rich, hearty, and deeply savory slow cooker chili that uses espresso and cocoa powder to enhance the beef flavor. This effortless recipe requires minimal prep and delivers profound comfort food flavors.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup strong brewed espresso or very strong coffee
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Dice the yellow onion and mince the garlic cloves.
  2. Place the diced onion and minced garlic into the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker pot.
  3. Add the ground beef to the pot, breaking it up with your hands or a spoon.
  4. Drain and rinse the black beans and kidney beans, then add them to the pot.
  5. Pour in the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes (do not drain the crushed tomatoes).
  6. Sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Add the brown sugar.
  7. Pour in the espresso and add the cocoa powder.
  8. Stir everything together well to ensure spices and cocoa are evenly distributed.
  9. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
  10. Once cooked, stir the chili well. If too thin, leave lid off on HIGH for 30 minutes to reduce. If too thick, add a splash of water or broth.
  11. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, sugar, or cayenne pepper as needed.

Notes

Do not skip the espresso; it enhances the beef flavor without making the chili taste like coffee. For a thicker chili, drain beans and tomatoes more thoroughly. For a soupier chili, add beef broth. This recipe is naturally gluten-free if using certified GF spices. Can be made in an Instant Pot: Sauté onions/garlic, brown meat, add ingredients, pressure cook HIGH for 20 minutes, natural release 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Keywords: slow cooker chili, beef chili, espresso chili, cocoa chili, comfort food, meal prep, easy dinner, gluten-free chili

Find it online: https://merrymorsel.com/flavorful-slow-cooker-chili-best-6-ingredient-recipe/