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    Home » Budget Recipes

    Quickest Chili in the West – Slow Cooker or Stovetop

    Published: May 1, 2017 · Modified: Jul 30, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

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    Looking for a quick, hot meal? How about a quick supper to give as a gift? I gotcha covered on both counts with the Quickest Chili in the West.

    Quickest Chili in the West | Life as Mom this …

    Quick meals, especially those that can be made ahead, are the name of the game in these here parts. Whether it’s a crazy work schedule for me or just a busy day out and about with the kids, it’s imperative that meal prep don’t take more time than necessary.

    This here, pardner, is the Quickest Chili in the West. You can set it and forget in the slow cooker, and hit the trail.

    Or you can simply gather all the ingredients in one place and mix it in about 20 minutes before serving. Either way, you can do a lot of the wrangling in advance.

    You’ll be so pleased to have this chili spice mix on hand. It costs just pennies in comparison to those little brown packets you buy at the store. And you can give this meal as a gift!

    In the past I’ve whipped up this chili in the slow cooker on Sunday morning to go with hotdogs or with chips and toppings later in the day. Everyone was very satisfied, and the next day I added cooked rice and beef broth for a quick riff on Beans and Rice Soup. Yes, yes, I have! Two meals for the price of one.

    Quickest Chili in the West | Life as Mom

    This Quickest Chili in the West is a great one to whip up and take to friends. What a thoughtful way to welcome a baby, celebrate a success, or comfort others during grief.

    If you’d like to give it as a non-perishable gift, you can print out this printable recipe card sheet, cut it into fourths, and then combine all the cans, spice mix, and a bag of chips into one bigger bag along with the recipe.

    What a wonderful gift for the busy family, allowing them a home-cooked meal when they want one. This is an easy meatless, gluten-free, dairy-free meal that should fit all diets and food preferences. Just double check the food labels to make sure that there aren’t some tricky allergens lurking in your cans and bags.

    A bowl of chili with cheese and other toppings
    quick chili in a white bowl with toppings.
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    5 from 2 votes

    Quickest Chili in the West

    Looking for a quick, hot meal? How about a quick supper to give as a gift? I gotcha covered on both counts with the Quickest Chili in the West.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time25 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 614kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey, browned and drained, optional
    • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
    • 1 28-ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
    • 2 15-ounce cans black beans drained and rinsed
    • 1 15-ounce cans hominy drained and rinsed
    • 1-2 cup water depending on how thick you like your chili
    • ¼ cup chile powder or ground chile
    • 1 tablespoon dry onion flakes
    • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
    • 1 tablespoon dry parsley flakes
    • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
    • salt
    • black pepper
    • toppings for chili : salsa, grated cheese, sour cream

    Instructions

    • Combine all ingredients in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook for at least 4 hours on high.
    • Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a stockpot over medium heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.
    • Serve with toppings and chips.

    Notes

    To freeze: Wrap, label, and chill the chili completely before freezing. Reheat before serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 614kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1020mg | Potassium: 1660mg | Fiber: 27g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 299IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 10mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag Me Today!Mention @goodcheapeatsblog or tag #goodcheapeats!

    Originally published December 10, 2011. Updated April 22, 2017.

     
    Quickest Chili in the West | Life as Mom
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    Comments

    1. Paula Barton

      September 28, 2014 at 9:34 pm

      Breakfast Casserole
      1/4 cup chopped onion
      1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
      1/4 cup chopped mushroom
      1/4 diced ham
      2 mission Artisan corn & wheat tortillas diced
      6 beaten eggs
      1 cup shredded cheese
      Spray olive oil
      Fajita seasoning
      Directions:
      Prepare 9×13 casserole dish with lightly oiled olive oil.
      Sautée vegetables and ham in a frying pan with olive oil. Cool the sautéed vegetables and ham. Add to this mixture tortillas, eggs, cheese, fajita seasoning.
      Pour the mixture into prepared casserole dish.
      Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

      Reply
    2. MommyOh

      February 03, 2014 at 12:10 pm

      Here’s an e-hug from me to you for such a great, easy, quick recipe!

      I made this for the first time a while back on one of those nights when I had NO dinner plan… I made the 20-minute version: all the ingredients were in my pantry…threw everything in a pot, and by the time the table had been set and the baby’s diaper was changed, dinner was ready.

      What a lifesaver it has been ever since. Here’s another example: Yesterday started going down hill quickly as one of my children became sick and all my plans changed for the day. My husband walked in the door from work and cheerfully asked, “What delicious Super Bowl snacks have you prepared?” I smiled blankly…and stared into the fridge…I had leftovers of this chili in the fridge…plus canned salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream…done! Transformed into a delicious dip for tortilla chips! The Quickest Chili in the West is a “wifesaver.” And it’s tasty, too!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        February 03, 2014 at 12:30 pm

        Wifesaver! I love it! Thanks for today’s smile.

        Reply
    3. Nia

      January 02, 2012 at 10:54 am

      Jessica,
      We made this yesterday. Oh my Gosh! This is some good chili. We used half canned beans and half dried beans that were in the freezer. When I saw 1/4 C chili powder, I thought “My goodness that’s a lot!” To my surprise it wasn’t spicy as I expected. And I believe mine came out a little on the soupy side so it makes a great stand in for taco soup.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        January 02, 2012 at 8:16 pm

        You’re not the only one to comment about the chili powder. LOL. I buy it in mega containers at Costco and it doesn’t make a dent in it. Glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    4. Vince

      December 18, 2011 at 3:35 am

      Thank you so much for posting this recipe! The only tweak I would make is I am blessed to live in a bean growing area and cook weekly batches of dried black and pinto beans in a pressure cooker to have ready for awesome recipes like this one. The conversion is usually 1-2/3 cups of dried beans for every can, so I’ll use 3-1/3 cups of black and pinto beans. That is easy enough. Thanks again for the awesome, simple, and quick slow cooker recipe!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 18, 2011 at 7:54 am

        Great! Thanks for sharing your tweak. Sounds very economical, too. I cook with dried beans, but lean on cans often. Trying to get away from that. I’m honestly a little scared of my pressure cooker.

        Reply
        • Kari

          January 16, 2016 at 4:11 pm

          Invest in an electric pressure cooker if you haven’t already done so!
          We have a Cuisinart and absolutely LOVE IT! I thought my husband was nuts when he asked for one a couple years ago for Christmas, but we rely on it time and time again for awesome rice (in under 10 minutes once pressure is built up) and loads of other yummy meals.

    5. Jackie Brown

      December 17, 2011 at 8:06 am

      I love make ahead meals on busy days, I linked my Christmas morning breakfast already in the freezer!

      Reply
    6. Money4ThisNot4That

      December 15, 2011 at 2:25 pm

      Ok I know this sounds really weird, but next time you make chili added diced dill pickles on top. Apparently it’s a southern thing. I don’t even like pickles, but I do like this.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 18, 2011 at 8:08 am

        That does sound weird. 😉 Definitely an interesting twist. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that.

        Would love to hear from others who do the same. It must have an interesting history.

        Reply
        • Kristin

          April 23, 2017 at 8:39 pm

          We do sweet pickle relish in our Midwestern family!

        • Jessica Fisher

          May 09, 2017 at 7:27 am

          On chili?! I love to hear all our different approaches. So cool. (Except I don’t like sweet pickles…)

    7. Heather :) :) :)

      December 15, 2011 at 10:02 am

      I really like to eat chilli…and this recipe looks easy. Oh, yeah, I like “made ahead” and “fast and easy”…and my personal favorite “slow cooker” 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Reply
    8. Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry

      December 15, 2011 at 8:40 am

      Thanks so much for hosting! I shared my Asparagus Risotto recipe this week.

      Reply
    9. Kristin

      December 15, 2011 at 4:48 am

      I think I need to try hominy. It seems like I’ve been reading about it all month!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 18, 2011 at 8:06 am

        My husband doesn’t like sweet corn stirred into things, so generally I substitute hominy in recipes that might call for corn.

        Reply
    10. Jen Blacker

      December 15, 2011 at 4:24 am

      Thank you for hosting. I shared my southwest rice and beans. It can be made ahead and frozen. Just pop in oven to reheat.

      Reply
    11. Wendy (The Local Cook)

      December 15, 2011 at 4:02 am

      I love make ahead meals – can’t wait to check out all the ideas!

      Reply
    12. Micha @ Cookin' Mimi

      December 14, 2011 at 8:20 pm

      That looks yummy Jessica. Chili is one of my favorite slow cooker meals. I linked up one of my favorite chicken recipes.

      Reply
    13. Kristia {Family Balance Sheet}

      December 14, 2011 at 7:37 pm

      I linked up a favorite go-to crock pot meal: http://lifeasmom.com/2011/12/quickest-chili-in-the-west-urs-make-ahead-meals.html

      thanks for the link up and I hope you are feeling better!

      Reply

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