Green Tomato Garlic Chili in the Instant Pot® or Slow Cooker

Green tomatoes, roasted garlic, and ground beef make a colorful and flavorful chili recipe perfect for fall. You can make this in the Instant Pot®, a slow cooker, or on the stovetop. 

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As someone who cooks with what's in season, this time of year means green tomatoes. I decided to update an old post from my first year, really the first few weeks of starting this website. In addition to publishing new photos and adding an easier to read recipe card, I've also cooked this recipe in my newest appliance, the Instant Pot®. My husband bought me an early birthday/Christmas present, and I unboxed it--with the dogs' help--and shared the resulting video on my FB page. I'm quite happy to ditch the old, poor quality photos for some newer, still poor quality photos (it's been raining here), but I didn't want to delete how I was inspired to make this chili. For that, please feel free to read my original text below.

I recently started volunteering at a thrift shop.  I didn't realize that it would mean I'd be shopping at the thrift shop on a regular basis, which is an unfortunate happy side effect.  I mean, I did get a pair of new-to-me jeans for $3.  And they're not 'mom jeans' either. Last time I volunteered was after I'd made the Cabin Casserole.  I was chatting with Fran about it, and how the recipe called for green tomatoes, when she told me about her Green Tomato Garlic Chili.  I immediately requested the recipe! This recipe is from The Garlic Lover's Cookbook. I've adapted Fran's recipe by cutting the fat, adjusting the spices, swapping roasted for fresh garlic, pumping up the amount of veggies, and finely chopping everything so my kids will eat it. We liked it so much that I harvested the rest of the green tomatoes on my plants, cored them (the composting pigs like green tomatoes too!) pulsed them in my lovely food processor, and froze 2 2+ lb bags of green tomatoes for winter chili nights.  Make that chilly winter nights.  Oooh!

A few Notes about this recipe.

1. I used ground beef, but feel free to substitute fresh ground pork. I already know ground pork and green tomatoes make a great chili--check out my Chorizo & Green Tomato Chili recipe here.
2. Use the hot peppers of your choice. I'm able to get quarts of freshly roasted Hatch chiles each August from the local grocery store, and I pop them into the freezer to use throughout the year. I think using roasted chiles adds more flavor than fresh chiles, so I do recommend using roasted green chiles.
3. No roasted garlic? No problem! You can substitute minced garlic, probably ⅓ of a cup. Like with the chiles, I think that using roasted garlic punches up the flavor in many dishes. When I harvest my garlic crop each summer, I roast and freeze a portion for use throughout the year. Here's a post about how I put up my garlic crop.
4. That's a lot of chopping! Yes--I like to start my day at work chopping a bunch of onions, but if chopping isn't your thing, run the onions, bell peppers, and green tomatoes in turns through a food processor until they are finely chopped. [If you don't have a food processor and chopping's not your thing . . . add that to your birthday wish list and find room in the kitchen.]
5. I've included instructions for cooking this chili in an Instant Pot® (mine is 6 quarts, plenty of room), in a slow cooker, and on the stove top. I am sure you could figure out a way to cook this on a grill--but I'm not going to do that. I grill pizza and vegetables mostly, and I'm good with that.

Watch the video to see how I made this recipe! I taught myself how to do split screen so I could show the Instant Pot® control panel as well as what the food looks like. All our phones are out of storage and the batteries are nearly empty--but I did manage to show what I was trying to share.

Now gather your ingredients and get started! Nothing fancy here--just meat and vegetables, with spices and broth, and that means that this chili is gluten and dairy free. My late grandmas would recognize much of these--but they lived in Canada and Wisconsin so the chiles would probably be something unusual for them. Good ingredients mean good flavor, and local is best in my opinion!

Green Tomato Garlic Chili in an Instant Pot® or Slow Cooker or stove top
By Kirsten Madaus

Green tomatoes, roasted garlic and ground beef makes a colorful and flavorful chili recipe. You can make this in the Instant Pot®, a slow cooker, or on the stovetop. Times shown refer to the Instant Pot® and include the time it took to achieve pressure and to depressurize.

Prep time: 00:10
Cook time: 00:40
Total time: 01:10

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:

1 teaspoon cooking oil
2 pounds ground beef (original recipe called for 2 pounds sirloin, cubed and cooked in oil)
1 large onion, about 1½ cups, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
2-3 heads (not cloves) roasted garlic
1 cup chopped roasted Hatch chiles, or 2 small cans green chiles (original recipe called for 6 green chilies, fresh or roasted, finely chopped)
2 pounds green tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
1½ teaspoons salt, I use kosher, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper (original recipe called for white, use what you have)
1 cup broth (vegetable, beef, chicken--your choice)
optional, to serve: shredded cheese, sour cream, spaghetti noodles, tortilla chips

Instructions:

To make this chili in an Instant Pot®, set the Sauté function to More heat for 10 minutes. Add a teaspoon of oil then the ground beef. Cook until about halfway browned.

Stir in the onion and bell pepper, and cook until the vegetables are softened and the meat is browned.

Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and lock the lid onto the pot. Turn the steam release handle to Sealing.

Set the Pressure Cook function for High pressure, and adjust the time to 20 minutes.

When the cooking cycle has finished, carefully turn the steam release valve to Venting.

When the float valve has dropped, open the lid.

If you're serving your chili over noodles, you're good to go. If you'd prefer a thicker chili, set the Sauté function to More Heat for 10 minutes, and stir occasionally until the chili is thickened.

To make this chili in a slow cooker, brown ground beef in oil in a large skillet over medium heat, adding onion and pepper halfway thru the cooking time.

Stir in roasted garlic until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a 3.5 quart or larger slow cooker, and stir in the chiles, spices, and tomatoes. You'll only need ½ cup of broth if your tomatoes are watery, use the full cup if they are firmer.

Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours, or High for 3-4 hours. Serve as above.

To make this chili on the stovetop, heat a heavy bottomed pot (that's at least 3 quarts and has a lid) over medium high heat, add oil.

Drop in the ground beef, and stir to break up clumps into small pieces. Sauté until starting to brown, then add the onions and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients to the pan and stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. When you see the broth bubbling throughout the surface of the pot, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes or so.

Remove lid, and continue simmering for another 10-15 minutes until desired consistency is reached.

Serve as above.

Yes, you can freeze chopped green tomatoes, or water bath can them, to make this chili throughout the year.

For more recipes using green tomatoes, please see my Green Tomato Recipes Collection. It's part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, the garden, the neighbor's garden, and great deals on ugly produce at the grocery store.

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