Slow Cooked Beef and Bean Hotpot

At this time of year I love using my slow cooker even more than usual. There is something so warming about a meal that has been in the slow cooker all day. Slow cooker meals are also a great meal to have on a busy day. You can simply prepare the meal and leave it to cook throughout the day and enjoy in the evening. Slow cooked meals are so flavoursome as the slow cooking process allows the flavours to combine together like no other.

This meal is inspired by chilli con carne but is more child friendly as it has a more mild taste. The kidney beans have been replaced by baked beans and some extra vegetables have been added.

This is what I did...

Slow Cooked Beef and Bean Hotpot

Ingredients

500g lean mince meat
1 red onion, chopped
1 lg courgette, quartered and chopped
150g mushrooms, sliced
1 lg stick of celery, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g tin baked beans
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Rice to serve

Method

1 - In a deep saute pan brown off the mince beef with the onions, courgette, mushrooms, garlic and celery for 5 minutes

2 - Place the meat and vegetables into the slow cooker

3 - Pour over the chopped tomatoes and the baked beans and mix thoroughly

4 - Place on a high heat and cook for one hour, add the chilli powder, paprika and ground cinnamon, stir thoroughly, replace the lid and continue to cook for a further 4 hours on high heat or a further 6 hours on a low heat

This dish is delicious served with rice and a meal the whole family are bound to enjoy!

Enjoy x