Slow Cooker White Navy Bean Beef Chili for Full GAPS

This slow-cooker chili is built for the days when dinner needs to simmer along without much attention. Properly prepared white navy beans, ground beef, peppers, tomatoes, butter, and homemade meat stock cook into a thick family-size pot with a warm cumin-and-chile aroma.

I like this kind of meal when the afternoon is already full. The beans are prepared ahead, everything goes into the cooker, and the reserved spices wake the whole pot back up shortly before dinner.

Where This Chili Fits On GAPS

This recipe fits Full GAPS. White navy beans must complete the current preparation method and cook until fully tender before they enter the chili. Use homemade raw-meaty meat stock and fresh or pure additive-free tomatoes.

Prepare The Beans First

Start with eight ounces dry white navy beans. Complete the current soak-or-sprout and cultured fermentation preparation, cook them in fresh water until fully tender, then drain well. A finished bean should crush easily between two fingers without a hard or chalky center.

Load The Slow Cooker

Add the beans, onions, both bell peppers, sliced garlic, meat stock, tomatoes, beef, butter, initial spices, and optional jalapeño to the Ninja Foodi inner pot. Break the beef into small pieces so it cooks evenly.

Choose one branch: LOW for eight to ten hours, HIGH for six to eight hours, or a covered oven-safe pot at 225°F for about eight hours. The chili is ready for its final seasoning when the beef is fully cooked, the vegetables are soft, and a spoon drawn through the pot leaves a brief trail rather than filling immediately with thin liquid.

Finish With The Reserved Spices

Thirty to sixty minutes before dinner, stir in the reserved cumin, oregano, and chili powder. The sharp raw-spice smell should soften into the deeper aroma of the cooked chili before serving. Taste before adding more salt, especially if the meat stock or tomatoes were already salted.

Serving And Storage

Serve the chili plain or add a tolerated Full GAPS topping such as properly cultured raw cheddar, homemade cultured sour cream, sliced green onion, or avocado. Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate covered. Reheat gently, adding a splash of meat stock only if the chili has thickened more than you prefer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Put Dry Beans Directly In The Cooker?

No. Complete the GAPS preparation and cook the navy beans until tender first.

Do I Use Both Slow-Cooker Settings?

No. Choose either LOW or HIGH. The oven method is a third alternative.

Why Reserve Some Of The Spices?

The late addition restores a fresh cumin, oregano, and chile aroma after the long cook.

Recommended Equipment

• Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL FD401
• Large glass fermentation vessel
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Flexible silicone spatula

Slow Cooker White Navy Bean Beef Chili for Full GAPS

A six-to-eight-serving Full GAPS chili with properly prepared navy beans, beef, peppers, tomatoes, meat stock, and low, high, or oven cooking branches.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, GAPS

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 8 oz dried white navy beans fully prepared, cooked tender, and drained
• 1 1/2 medium white onions chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
• 4 garlic cloves sliced
• 2 cups homemade raw-meaty meat stock
• 28 oz fresh or pure additive-free diced tomatoes
• 1 lb ground beef
• 5 tsp mineral salt use less if the stock or tomatoes are salted
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp pure chili powder
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1–2 jalapeños optional; chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin reserved for finishing
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano reserved for finishing
• 1/4 tsp pure chili powder reserved for finishing

Equipment

• Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer FD401
• Large glass fermentation vessel
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Flexible silicone spatula

Method

 

1. Prepare the dried white navy beans completely through the current GAPS method. Cook them in fresh water until fully tender, drain well, and use the cooked yield from 8 ounces dry beans.
   
2. Add the prepared beans, onions, red and green bell peppers, garlic, meat stock, diced tomatoes, ground beef, salt, pepper, initial cumin, initial oregano, initial chili powder, butter, and optional jalapeño to the Ninja Foodi inner pot. Break the beef into small pieces across the top.
3. Slow cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or HIGH for 6 to 8 hours, until the beef is fully cooked, the vegetables are soft, and the chili is thick. For the oven branch, cover in an oven-safe pot and cook at 225°F for about 8 hours.
   
4. Thirty to 60 minutes before serving, stir in the reserved cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Continue cooking until the seasoning is fragrant and evenly dispersed. Taste and adjust mineral salt only as needed.

Notes

Full GAPS.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings; the card is set to 8 for scaling.

The LOW, HIGH, and 225°F oven branches are alternatives, not cumulative steps.

Optional toppings: properly cultured raw cheddar, homemade cultured sour cream, sliced green onion, or avocado.

Tried this recipe?

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More Full GAPS Family Dinners

The planned WFLI Full GAPS Dinner Guide will bring prepared-bean meals, meat-stock components, and make-ahead family dinners together in one place. Watch the WFLI shop for its release.