Taco Soup Verdict and Mom's Chili Recipe (originally posted January 26, 2014)

Every once in a while I get an urge to try one of the more common crockpot recipes out there. This time it was taco soup. While it wasn’t terrible, it was what I’ve come to expect from many crockpot recipes- bland and mediocre. While I’m sure there are things that could be done to modify and liven up the recipe (at the very least, I would add garlic and onions and perhaps some cumin), I don’t think this recipe is a repeater for our family (not even a doctored version of it).

Instead, I’d probably just cook my mom’s chili, which could easily be adapted to a crockpot. Here’s the recipe of my mom’s delicious chili, which I’ve now made more times than I can count:

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1/4 cooking oil (canola is preferred)

1 pound ground beef

1 large onion

1 large can of diced, cooked tomatoes (do not drain)

2 large cans of pinto beans or pink beans (do not drain)- I sometimes use 1 can of black beans and 1 of pink

1 can of corn, drained (not the creamed kind)

1 small can of tomato sauce (not paste)

3-4 tablespoons of chili powder

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Shredded cheese, chips, and sour cream for the topping (optional)

Directions:

In a large stock or soup pot on medium heat, pour in oil; add ground beef and onion and all spices and stir every couple minutes to brown the beef and cook the onions until soft; when beef and onions are cooked, add the diced tomatoes, beans, corn, and tomato sauce and bring to a simmering boil; turn heat down to low and simmer for 1 hour, covered. Let sit off heat for at least 1 hour before serving (reheat if necessary).

Top with shredded cheddar and monteray jack cheese, corn chips, and sour cream.

***Notes-

-To adapt to a crockpot, I would probably brown the beef and onions in a pan with the oil, drain the fat, then throw everything, including the drained beef and onions, into a 6+ quart slow cooker for 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. If timing allows, the 8-10 hours on low would allow the flavors to blend better.

-Greek yogurt makes a nice, healthier alternative to the sour cream topping- we always use yogurt.