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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
There’s something so magical about letting a chili simmer all day! This Kitchen Sink Chili has been part of our family for over ten years, updated from my original 2010 recipe. Confession: my favorite chili has always been from Tim Hortons! The beloved Canadian coffee and doughnut shop makes a chili with chunks of every vegetable you could imagine, and it inspired me to toss almost everything in my fridge into this slow-cooked masterpiece. The result? Timmy’s-style perfection in a bowl!
If you’re short on time, my Easy Instant Pot Chili is quick, hearty, and packed with flavor! Or, try my Air Fryer Hot Dogs and turn them into irresistibly tasty chili dogs with this Kitchen Sink Chili.
Reader Review
I’ve made this recipe at least five times now–it’s delicious. And I feel so good about serving this to my family of six because of all of those gorgeous vegetables 🙂
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: Kitchen Sink Chili is so easy to make – just toss everything in the slow cooker, but the kitchen sink!
- Total Time: This recipe takes about 5 hours on high or up to 9 hours on low if you leave it simmering as you go about your day. Most of this time is hands-off in the slow cooker, though, so it’s perfect for busy schedules!
- Variations: Amp up the flavor with extra seasonings like smoked paprika, cumin, or a dash of Homemade Worcestershire Sauce. You can also add more vegetables, like corn or sweet potatoes, for extra color and texture. Serve your chili with warm White Bread or crunchy tortilla chips for dipping and dig in!
- Tools For This Recipe: You will need a large skillet, a spatula for sautéing, a knife for chopping, a slow cooker for simmering, and a grater for topping with shredded cheese.
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Ground Beef: You can use either ground beef or turkey in this recipe, whichever you prefer! We love the classic heartiness of beef, but this chili can also be completely vegetarian. Karlynn’s Tip: Replace the meat with an extra can of beans and some additional vegetables for vegetarian-friendly goodness.
Crushed Tomatoes: Canned crushed tomatoes create the rich, flavorful base of this chili, helping all the ingredients come together into a thick, comforting sauce.
Beans: Black beans and kidney beans work perfectly here. They add bite, boost the protein, and make this dish even more filling. Just make sure to drain and rinse them well!
Vegetables: This is where the “kitchen sink” part comes in – anything goes! This recipe calls for red, yellow, orange, and green peppers, along with mushrooms, carrots, celery, white onion, and garlic. Karlynn’s Tip: Try adding zucchini, corn, sweet potato, or kale for added nutrients and a more well-rounded chili.
Chili Powder: Chili powder is used to flavor this dish, but my Homemade Chili Seasoning is a great substitute! When using my seasoning blend, omit the chili powder and adjust to taste.
How To Make My Kitchen Sink Chili Recipe
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Fry the ground beef with the white onions until it’s cooked and the onions are soft. You’ll know the meat is ready when it reaches a safe internal temperature of 160°F!
- Drain the fat, add the minced garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes, until the garlic is browned and fragrant.
- Place the ground beef mixture into the slow cooker.
- Prep your veggies and place them in the slow cooker.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes and rinsed beans into the crockpot, then mix in the brown sugar, chili powder (or seasoning blend), and ketchup.
- Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- When the veggies are soft, purée 1 to 1 and ½ cups of the chili. Add it back in, and continue to cook it for another 30 minutes.
- Top with shredded cheese and enjoy!
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Kitchen Sink Chili Recipe
- The Secret Ingredient (Yes, It’s Ketchup): I’ve judged more chili contests in my city than anyone I know, spending years tasting entries from the Edmonton Chili Cook Off. The one ingredient that came up again and again in the winning chilies was ketchup! The sugar in ketchup balances the acidity of the tomatoes and chili powder, adding a smoother, more rounded flavor. Time after time, the chef’s chilies we raved about always had ketchup on the ingredient list!
- Low and Slow Ground Beef Matters: There’s a common myth that slow cooking ground beef ruins it, but the opposite is true! When cooked low and slow, ground beef transforms into something oh-so-tender and almost velvety. This is the secret to rich, luxurious chili meat – and it’s the same technique I use in my Bolognese Sauce!
- Purée for a Better Base: Before serving, purée a small portion of the chili and stir it right back in. This creates a thicker, blended sauce without adding any flour or starch. I’m pretty sure that’s what Tim Hortons does as well!
Storage Instructions
This Kitchen Sink Chili tastes just as good made ahead as it does fresh, and it’s perfect for easy meals and lunches throughout the week!
Refrigerator: Once fully cooled, store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: This chili freezes beautifully! Transfer it to lidded, freezer-safe containers and freeze for 3-4 months, following USDA food safety guidelines. For school or work lunches, freeze individual portions, thaw, and reheat in the microwave as needed!
More Delicious Chili Recipes
If you enjoyed this chili, you’ll love my other Chili recipes:
- Campfire Chili Cheese Fries are a classic, outdoor comfort food made even better with cheese and chili!
- Pumpkin Chili may sound unexpected, but trust me, it’s a well-loved recipe that even kids enjoy.
- My Homemade Cheesy Chili Mac Skillet is a filling, one-pan dish that combines chili with creamy, cheesy pasta!
That’s it for this Kitchen Sink Chili! It’s the kind of hands-off, slow-cooked meal that fills the house with cozy smells and makes busy days a whole lot easier. And yes – I know I said “chili” a lot in this post, but when it’s this good, it deserves the spotlight!
Give this recipe a try and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I always love hearing from you!
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Kitchen Sink Chili
Ingredients
Ground Beef Mixture
- ½ white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds ground beef or turkey
Chili Ingredients
- 28 ounces can of crushed tomatoes
- 15 ounces can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ red pepper, diced
- ½ yellow pepper, diced
- ½ orange pepper, diced
- ½ green pepper, diced
- 1-2 cups of mushrooms
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery, diced
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ⅓ cup of ketchup
Instructions
- Fry the ground beef with the white onions until the beef is cooked and the onions are soft. Drain the grease then add in the minced garlic and saute for another 2 minutes until the garlic is browned and fragrant.
- Place the ground beef mixture into the slow cooker.
- Dice up all your veggies and place everything into the slow cooker.
- Combine the can of crushed tomatoes, and the two cans of rinsed beans into the crock pot, mix in the brown sugar, chili powder and ketchup.
- Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- When the vegetables are nice and soft, take about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the chili, and puree it. This gives it a thicker, tastier base to it. Add it back in, and continue to cook it for another 30 minutes or so.
- Serve with shredded cheese on top and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ian says
Made this for my family tonight and was told it was the best I’ve ever made. Used extra old cheddar cheese Had to add a few more beans as my store sold 19 oz cans, and the extra beans worked out just fine. Great vegetable usage as well.
Cindy says
What kind I’d cheese do you I can’t wait to make this recipe
Janet says
I live in Canada so could you tell me where I could find
28 ounces can of crushed tomatoes
▢15 ounces can of black beans, drained and rinsed
▢15 ounces can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
since the cans at my supermarket come in ml
Ian says
Hi Janet, fellow Canadian here.
The Aylmer 796 ml can of tomatoes is 28 ounces. It’s so frustrating that the US wants to keep an ancient measurement system when the rest of the world has gone metric!
I bought Unico beans, Canadian made in 19 oz cans, or 562 mls. Didn’t find a 15 ounce (443 ml) can, so added the few beans which didn’t hurt the chili. I often use Siri on my phone to convert ounces to mls
as pretty much all of the American recipes are not in metric.
I actually really liked the chili that I made today in my slow cooker. My family really liked it.
Hope you have the same success!
John says
Haven’t made this recipe yet but I gave it a 4 star rating anyways.
It looks delicious; however, the Serving size in the Nutritional Information section is only 10 grams which is obviously in error.
The “Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 8g” alone add up to 108 grams.
I track these statistics in most of my cooking and would really like to know what the actual serving size was. Hope this page can be update. Thanks
Karlynn Johnston says
Hey John, the calculator is done by a third party (I mention this as a disclaimer in my recipe card always) and the information cannot be counted on to be accurate for those who track their nutritional needs. The best thing to do if you need to track your nutrition is to enter what you use in your personal cooking into an online calculator that you trust.
Erin Franco says
I’ve made this recipe at least five times now–it’s delicious. And I feel so good about serving this to my family of six because of all of those gorgeous vegetables:)
Sonia Olivier says
This was a hit with the family and I did freeze the leftovers. Thanks for the great chili recipe.
Hilda says
My fridge and pantry are completely empty right now but I’m gonna go with your whole kitchen sink theme here and just fill up the crock pot with what I can find and hope it comes out remotely chilli-ish. Totally trying the pureeing thing, sounds so good!
thekitchenmagpie says
@Hilda Hope it worked out for you!~
Aditya1707 says
This is delicious! I love cooking things in a crockpot. It’s really a magicpot! I used turkey too.
crissie says
Love the idea of pureeing. So great! Mine is always too runny.
thekitchenmagpie says
@crissie Pureeing is the single best thing I’ve ever discovered when it comes to soup and chilis. WHAT a fabulous difference it makes!
Em says
This looks so yummy! I can’t wait to try it myself.
thekitchenmagpie says
@Em It’s good, healthy and yummy! Hope you liked it!