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September 18, 2015

Slow Cooker Beefy 15-Bean Chili (with Cajun-Lime Sour Cream)

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Tender beef chunks and 15 different types of (dried) beans make up the foundation of this mouth-watering chili. The cajun sour cream that tops the chili is an integral part of the dish–be sure to give it a try!
Slow Cooker Beefy 15-Bean Chili with Cajun-Lime Sour Cream Recipe--perfect tailgating food
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This recipe is made possible by Hurst’s Beans. Thanks so much to Hurst’s for sponsoring this recipe. It’s always so much fun to work with such a great family-owned company.

I love this chili! My family loves this chili! My son had thirds.  Thirds. And then he went to the fridge 10 minutes after dinner. He’s seven. I’m scared for when he’s seventeen. Should I scrap the college fund and start a grocery fund?

Crockpot recipe for the best chili ever! 15 different beans and lots of beef make up this chili
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For this recipe I started with Hurst’s (famous) Cajun 15 bean soup®. It’s very similar to their original 15 bean soup, but it has a little more kick…which is perfect for chili. But don’t worry, it’s not too spicy at all. If you love the spice you can always kick it up with some jalapeno, but if you have younger kids, like me, you can keep it pretty mild.

Hurst's Hambeens Brand Cajun 15 Bean Soup made into a beefy chili

Looks at all those pretty colors! This recipe is also naturally gluten free…so bonus for those of you dealing with dietary restrictions.

Hurst's Cajun 15 Bean Soup
Start this recipe the night before. I love to soak these beans overnight. They just seem to taste so much better. And I always soak them in a pot of water with a tablespoon of salt. The salty water really helps the flavor and texture of the beans to be spot on! The next morning drain off the water and then rinse the beans in a colander.
Beef stew meat is the meat base of this chili recipe.
You’re going to use a lot of beef for this recipe! I used almost 2 1/2 pounds of beef stew meat. Keep in mind that this recipe makes a lot! Probably about 10 servings. If you want to make your own stew meat, just buy a chuck roast and cut it into cubes. Sometimes this method is a lot cheaper than buying the already-cut-for-you meat.
spicy cajun mix in the 15 bean soup package
The spice packet that’s inside of the soup package is a cajun spice that you’ll coat the beef with. I browned my meat with half of the spice mix and saved the other half of the spice mix for later (I added it into the chili at the end of the cooking time to give it a flavor boost).
beef stew meat is best when you brown it for 5 minutes on each side.
Although you don’t HAVE to brown the meat, I like to for this recipe. It just bumps up the flavor. I brown the spicy beef for about 5 minutes on each side in just a little bit of oil.
diced yellow onions can go into the chili raw.
While the beef is browning, dice up one large yellow onion. For this recipe, you don’t have to saute the onion before it goes in the slow cooker.
add the onions and beef into the crockpot and turn it to low
Add the beef, beans, onions and water to the slow cooker and get it going! This recipe takes a while to cook. My hot slow cooker cooked it in about 4 hours on high. But if you want to cook it on low it will take at least twice that long. This is a good recipe to make for those days you’re going to be gone all day.
Add the green pepper at the end so that is remains somewhat crisp
When the beans are soft and the beef is fork tender you know your chili is done! You’ll add in the tomato products (the acid in the tomatoes keeps the beans from getting tender so don’t add it in at the beginning or your beans won’t get tender) and a diced green pepper. I prefer adding the green pepper in at the end because it gives just a slight crunch and fresh flavor component.
Top your chili with cajun lime sour cream...it is sooo good.
For serving, you’ll whisk some sour cream, lime juice, hot sauce and cajun seasoning together for a delicious chili topping. Believe me, you’ll love this! Don’t forget to make it.
Make this 15 bean chili in your crockpot. It takes all day to cook so it's perfect for a working parent.
If you love the heat, dice up some jalapenos and add them to your bowl of chili (none for me, thanks). I also added a heap of grated sharp cheddar and a few sliced green onions on mine. Funny side note…I cut up some jalapenos when I was getting ready to take pictures of the chili and my daughter came by and said “mmm, can I have some?” She started popping them in her mouth. I told her that they’re going to be super spicy! She didn’t believe me but in about 2 minutes her eyes were watering and she was downing about a gallon of milk. She thought they were just going to be like regular green peppers. Um, no.I hope you love this chili as much as we did! Make sure to visit Hurst’s on Facebook to see other great recipe ideas.  And if you want to see all the recipes that I’ve personally made with their products scroll to the very bottom of this post!

Slow cooker recipe for Hursts 15 Bean Cajun Chili
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Beefy 15-Bean Chili


  • Author: Karen
  • Cook Time: 4-5 hours on high, 8-10 hours on low
  • Total Time: 8 minute
  • Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Scale
The night before:
  • 1 (20 oz) package of Hurst’s Cajun 15 Bean Soup with included seasoning packet
  • 1 Tbsp salt

The day of:

  • 6 cups water
  • 2 1/2 lbs beef stew meat (or you can cut a chuck roast into bite size cubes)
  • 2 tsp canola oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • Salt and pepper
  • Optional Toppings: grated cheese, sliced green onions, diced red onions, sliced jalapenos

For the sour cream:

  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tsp hot sauce
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cajun seasoning

Instructions

  1. The night before you want to make the chili you’ll need to soak the beans. This really helps get the beans to the right texture. Get a big bowl and pour the beans into the bowl. Save the seasoning packet for tomorrow! Add water to the bowl.  The beans will absorb a lot of water so you’ll want to fill the bowl with enough water to cover the beans by at least 2 inches. Sprinkle in 1 Tablespoon of salt. The salt will help the beans get to a creamy, smooth texture as opposed to a gluey, mushy texture. Let the beans sit overnight for at least 8 hours.
  2. Drain the water from the beans by placing the beans in a colander. Rinse off the beans.
  3. Pour the rinsed beans into a large slow cooker. Add in 6 cups of water.
  4. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a large pan over medium high heat. While the oil is heating get your beef out. You’ll want to use a paper towel to blot as much moisture off the beef as possible. This will ensure that you get a nice browning on the meat. Place the beef into the hot pan and try to let each piece of meat get a space on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half of the seasoning packet from the 15 bean soup mix onto the meat. Let the meat brown for 5 minutes, then turn the meat over with a spatula and let it brown for 5 minutes on the other side. Add the meat to the slow cooker.
  5. While the meat is browning, you’ll want to dice up your onion.  Add the diced onion to the slow cooker.
  6. Add 2 tsp of salt and 3 minced garlic cloves into the slow cooker.
  7. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for about 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours, or until beans and beef are very tender.
  8. Remove the lid. At this point I ladled out some extra liquid and discarded it. If you want it really thick instead of soupy, ladle out some of the liquid.
  9. Add in diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir in. Add in the diced green pepper. Add in the remainder of the seasoning packet (you should have half of the packet left). Then salt and pepper to taste (I added in probably another 1/2 tsp of salt).
  10. Make the cajun-lime sour cream. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream, lime juice, hot sauce, oil and cajun seasoning together until smooth and incorporated.
  11. Scoop the chili into serving bowls and top with sour cream and optional toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

Notes

Ideal slow cooker size: 6-8 quart

Did you make this recipe?

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21 Comments Filed Under: 6 or More Hours, All Recipes, Beans, Beef, Gluten Free, Soups, Slow Cooker Tagged With: 5 stars, chili, All Posts, hurst's beans, sponsored posts

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Comments

  1. Nancy says

    December 2, 2019 at 9:50 am

    No store in my area carries the Cajun 15 bean soup bag. I have Cajun spices. Can you estimate how much I should use if I just buy the regular 15 bean soup bag. Thank you

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 3, 2019 at 7:18 am

      I would start with 2 tsp and go from there.

      Reply
  2. David Wells says

    January 14, 2016 at 10:36 pm

    Great Chili Recipe. Very easy and and absolutely delicious! Served it with a side of Cornbread for a wonderful winter evening meal.

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 16, 2016 at 11:08 pm

      So glad you liked it! I would love to have some cornbread right now with honey and butter on it. That sounds really good 🙂

      Reply
  3. Unknown says

    October 6, 2015 at 5:59 pm

    In my opinion, this is not a chili recipe. It is a soup recipe. Very bland and not very good to be honest. I am glad I found this recipe though because it introduced me to the Hurst 15-bean bags. Next time I will use a real chili recipe and just add these Hurst 15-beans. And I probably won't use beef tips next time…I'll use ground turkey.

    Reply
    • Unknown says

      October 6, 2015 at 6:53 pm

      Please don't be offended by my response. It just wasn't my favorite…I normally like all your recipes. 🙂 I'm just more of a traditional chili person, rather than this soupy variety 🙂

      Reply
    • [email protected] says

      October 6, 2015 at 7:37 pm

      It's okay! I actually forgot to add that I ladled out some of the liquid after the beans were cooked. I just corrected the recipe.
      Is that the main problem? That it had too much liquid?
      Really sorry about that!!!

      Reply
    • Unknown says

      October 7, 2015 at 12:21 am

      It's probably that. II will probably use rotel next time and chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and cumin…and definitely I'll get rid of the excess liquid!

      Reply
  4. Sharon Lachendro says

    September 23, 2015 at 2:56 am

    Great tip on soaking the beans with some salt! This chili looks great!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      September 23, 2015 at 3:06 am

      It's crazy that something that simple makes such a big difference but it totally does 🙂

      Reply
  5. Michelle Nahom says

    September 23, 2015 at 12:19 am

    Cajun lime sour cream sounds fabulous!! I add lime to my sour cream all the time, but I love the idea of cajun too! Pinning!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      September 23, 2015 at 3:05 am

      Michelle, it's real good!!!!

      Reply
  6. Heather Kinnaird says

    September 22, 2015 at 2:47 pm

    I can't wait for our weather to cool down a bit, so I can make this – we love chili, and as the mother of a 15 year old boy, YES, you will need a grocery fund 🙂

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      September 23, 2015 at 3:04 am

      Heather, I'm scared!

      Reply
  7. Allie Taylor says

    September 22, 2015 at 2:12 pm

    Dear Karen, Cajun-Lime Sour Cream???? Sounds so delicious and the perfect topper for this mouth-watering chili recipe!!!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      September 23, 2015 at 3:03 am

      it's so perfect! you'll love it.

      Reply
  8. Deb says

    September 20, 2015 at 11:11 am

    Could you use ground beef or Turkey instead of stewing beef?

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      September 22, 2015 at 4:19 am

      yep! I think that would taste really good 🙂

      Reply
  9. Melissa says

    September 18, 2015 at 8:00 pm

    Looks yummy! Any suggestion for those who can't use packets included (food allergies, etc)? I would love to try it, but I checked the ingredients in the seasoning package and it's a no go for us. Thanks!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      September 18, 2015 at 8:20 pm

      Melissa, you can still make it! Just discard the packet and then make your own seasoning blend. I would use chili powder, cumin, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Start with a small amount and add more to taste.

      Reply
    • Melissa says

      September 19, 2015 at 4:13 pm

      Great – thanks for the advice! 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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