Crockpot Four Bean Chili

From the author, Toni Okamoto: This is the easiest, laziest, and cheapest recipe of all time. I’ve made it for countless omnivorous friends and family members and have had a 100% success rate! This Crockpot Four Bean Chili is an inexpensive, low-fuss crowd pleaser!

From Plant-Based on a Budget: We are very excited to share yet another amazing, hands-off recipe to help you avoid those last-minute dinner prep worries. This Crockpot Four Bean Chili is the answer to your “Dinner’s ready” prayers! It’s packed with protein, veggies, and most importantly, flavor.

Crockpot/Slow cooker or Pressure Cooker

As many of us have, you might be wondering whether it is best to buy a crockpot or a pressure cooker. It’s a serious dilemma and we are happy to help you with the decision. The easiest answer is, it depends on your needs. They are both amazing pieces of equipment that can help you put a delicious and healthy dinner on the table without having to be hands-on in the kitchen but they do have one major difference.

A crockpot is a slow cooker so it does require some planning in advance. You’ll need to have decided what you’ll be eating for dinner with hours in advance but once you get it going, you can forget about it until it’s ready to be served. A pressure cooker gets you to the same place but way faster, you can whip up a stew or a soup, like this Crockpot Four Bean Chili, in 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes. This obviously allows you to be more spontaneous and might be the better choice if you don’t have that planning itch inside you.

Make Now, Eat Later

The beauty of this Crockpot Four Bean Chili is that you can prepare a big batch on Sundays (or any day you’re up for batch cooking) and have it for the rest of your week. If you usually struggle with lack of time, then we couldn’t recommend this weekly step enough.

Recommended equipment:

• Crock-Pot
• Instant Pot
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• My favorite knives
• Wooden Spoon
• Individual Bowls

Photos by Alfonso Revilla

Ingredients

• 1 small yellow or red onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small green or red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small zucchini, grated
• 1 (15-ounce) can of diced tomatoes
• 2 (15-ounce) cans of black beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can of pinto beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can of kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can of garbanzo beans, drained
• ½ cup of frozen corn kennels
• 3 tablespoons of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste
• ½ cup of water
• Salt, to taste

Method