The slow cooker has been saving me in this season of life. Seriously. It’s the only way I get dinner on the table in any sort of timely fashion on Mondays, and it’s been in heavy rotation on weekends too.

There’s something about kicking back and watching football while the slow cooker does the work that just fills my heart. It truly feels like a break.

This game day dinner is a recent hit here – an all-day-long simmered chili served over corn chips and topped off with cheese and sour cream. It was a hit with everyone

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Directions
• More Game Day Favorites
• Recipe for Slow Cooker Frito Pie

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 can chili-ready black beans
• 1 can chili-ready red kidney beans
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup water

For serving:

• Corn chips
• Shredded cheddar
• Sour cream

I chose to use ground beef here, but ground chicken or ground turkey would also work well in this recipe! If you’d like to make your own taco seasoning, you can find my favorite recipe here.

Directions

1. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion together, breaking the meat up into small pieces. When the onion is translucent, remove from heat and drain any excess grease.
2. Spray the crock of the slow cooker with non-stick spray. Add the two cans of beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning and water. Stir well to combine.
3. Add cooked ground beef mixture and stir to combine.
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
5. Serve over corn chips, topped with shredded cheddar and sour cream.

Even though this recipe requires a little bit of stovetop prep, it always seems to be forgotten by the time I’m scooping the finished product out of the slow cooker. It feels like a night off cooking!

We generally like to serve this along with veggies and dip.

More Game Day Favorites

I think the slow cooker was made for game day meals – more time to watch and less time in the kitchen? Yes, please. Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili, Slow Cooker Cheesesteaks, and Grinders in the Slow Cooker are all perfect options for days when the game is more important than standing in the kitchen.

We also love making a meal our of snacks and appetizers! I have a roundup of 30 great snacks for game day here.

Need something sweet to round it all out? My top picks are M&M Brownie Batter Dip, Muddy Buddy Rice Krispie Treats, and S’more Pizza.

Recipe

Slow Cooker Frito Pie

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 can chili-ready black beans
• 1 can chili-ready red kidney beans
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup water

For serving:

• Corn chips
• Shredded cheddar
• Sour cream

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion together, breaking the meat up into small pieces. When the onion is translucent, remove from heat and drain any excess grease.
2. Spray the crock of the slow cooker with non-stick spray. Add the two cans of beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning and water. Stir well to combine.
3. Add cooked ground beef mixture and stir to combine.
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
5. Serve over corn chips, topped with shredded cheddar and sour cream.

Notes

Adapted from Sweet Little Blue Bird