This easy chili recipe is completely customizable and a delicious recipe for chilly fall and winter nights. Full of protein, this chili recipe features ground beef, bulk sausage, kidney beans and Cannellini beans. I share with you my two secret ingredients!
If you are looking for more comfort food recipes you need to make crockpot Mexican corn soup, Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup, ham pot pie or one pot chili mac and cheese.
Simple Chili Recipe
Time to make chili! This is a recipe I have developed over a few years, a bunch of trial and error and it works for my family. Use this as a guide to make your own chili. Add more of what you like and take away what you don’t. This is food..not science…well sort of.
Easy Chili Ingredients:
- 1 pound Ground beef
- 1/2 lb bulk sausage. (Jimmy Dean pictured)
- 3 cans 28 oz each crushed tomatoes (2 of Furmano’s and 1 quart of home canned)
- 2 cans of Kidney Beans 15 oz each (Hanover brand pictured)
- 1 can of Cannellini Beans 15 oz (Giant brand pictured, behind the sausage)
- 2 onions
- 1 pepper (red pictured but green is good too!)
- 1 cup Corn frozen or 1 15 oz can
- 2 cloves garlic
- Peanut butter (Crazy Richard’s pictured
)
- Chocolate (Hershey’s pictured
)
- 3 Tablespoons Cumin
- 4 Tablespoons Chili powder
- Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Easy Chili Directions
- Brown both the ground beef and the sausage. Make sure to cook all the pink out of the meat.
- Dice the onions.
- Dice the peppers.
- Remove the cooked meat and keep the meat drippings in the pan to sauté the vegetables. No need to add oil if you have flavorful pan drippings to use!
- Add them both to the hot pan and sauté till translucent and take on a bit of color.
- Either finely mince 2 cloves of garlic or run them over a Microplane
.
- Add the grated garlic to the vegetables. I like to add the garlic after the vegetables are sautéed because if I add it at the beginning it always burns! No one likes burnt garlic.
- Add everything else to the pot.
- Add the cooked meats, the beans (drained and rinsed) 1/2 of a 1 lb. bag of corn, the spices but NOT THE SALT. I always salt after a dish is cooked. Especially when canned vegetables are used. Stir to combine.
- Add a large serving spoon full of peanut butter to the chili.
- Add 1/2 a bar of chocolate. Stir once melted.
- Let the simmer on low for 45 minutes or longer. I love to let it simmer all afternoon. The flavors just marry and meld together and get better with time. This freezes beautifully.
Can I make this easy chili recipe in a crock-pot?
Yes! This easy chili recipe can easily be adapted to a crock-pot slow cooker. Follow the following instructions for slow cooker chili success.
Chili Crock-Pot Instructions
- In a large pan, brown both the ground beef and the sausage. Make sure to cook all the pink out of the meat.
- Dice the onions.
- Dice the peppers.
- Remove the cooked meat and place in the bottom of the crock-pot.
- Keep the meat drippings in the pan to sauté the vegetables. No need to add oil if you have flavorful pan drippings to use!
- Add them both to the hot pan and sauté till translucent and take on a bit of color.
- Either finely mince 2 cloves of garlic or run them over a Microplane
- Add the grated garlic to the vegetables. I like to add the garlic after the vegetables are sautéed because if I add it at the beginning it always burns! No one likes burnt garlic.
- Add all the ingredients to the crock-pot.
- Set on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-5.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe
Stuffed pepper soup has all the flavors of your favorite stuffed bell peppers but without the work and mess of making stuffed peppers.
Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe
Cabbage roll soup is a winter comfort food with all the same flavors of your favorite stuffed cabbage rolls, but in a bowl!
Crock-Pot Beef Stroganoff Recipe
This is my take on Julia Child's classic beef stroganoff recipe. There is no need for cream of mushroom soup in this easy beef stroganoff with my step by step instructions to make the quick and easy stroganoff sauce.
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe
This is my family’s cabbage roll recipe and you will be surprised how easy they are to make. This is the ultimate comfort food from the old country.
Slow Cooker Soup Recipes For Winter
These are some of my favorite winter slow cooker recipes. If you are looking for some good winter soups to warm you from within, these winter crock pot recipes will surely hit the spot. This collections of easy winter soups will bring you delicious bowls full of comfort.
Crockpot Ham And Potato Soup
There is nothing more comforting that a warm bowl of ham and potato soup on a cold winter day. This cheesy crockpot ham and potato soup uses up leftover ham, potatoes, corn and peas. Set your crockpot in the morning and come home to delicious soup your whole family will love.
9 Crock Pot Recipes To Make Your Beach Vacation Easier
When you are thinking about beach vacation meal planning these crock pot meals will help make your time in the kitchen short when you are trying to put together vacation meals on a budget.
19 Crock Pot Recipes To Help You Have A Laid Back New Years Day
I have put together 19 crock pot recipes to help you have a laid back New Years Day. I love New Years day because it is the last holiday of the busy holiday season. I feel it is the most laid back holiday out of them all.
Beanless Chili Recipe
If you love chili but don’t love beans, this easy beanless chili recipe is for you! Full of protein and all the flavors of a traditional chili this easy chili recipe will sure to become a family favorite.
What toppings go on top of chili?
There are a variety of delicious toppings that can top a bowl of piping hot chili. Here is a list of some of my favorites:
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sour Cream
- Chives
- Salsa
- Tortilla chips
- Squeeze of lime
- Corn Bread
- Cilanto
- Diced jalapenos
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Printable easy chili recipe:
Easy Chili
This easy chili recipe is completely customizable and a delicious recipe for chilly fall and winter nights. Full of protein, this chili recipe features ground beef, bulk sausage, kidney beans and Cannellini beans. I share with you my two secret ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground beef
- 1/2 lb bulk sausage.
- 3 cans 28 oz each crushed tomatoes
- 2 cans of Kidney Beans 15 oz each
- 1 can of Cannellini Beans 15 oz
- 2 onions
- 1 pepper, red pictured but green is good too!
- 1 cup Corn frozen or 1 15 oz can
- 2 cloves garlic
- Peanut butter
- Chocolate
- 3 Tablespoons Cumin
- 4 Tablespoons Chili powder
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Brown both the ground beef and the sausage. Make sure to cook all the pink out of the meat.
- Dice the onions.
- Dice the peppers.
- Remove the cooked meat and keep the meat drippings in the pan to sauté the vegetables. No need to add oil if you have flavorful pan drippings to use!
- Add them both to the hot pan and sauté till translucent and take on a bit of color.
- Either finely mince 2 cloves of garlic or run them over a Microplane.
- Add the grated garlic to the vegetables. I like to add the garlic after the vegetables are sautéed because if I add it at the beginning it always burns! No one likes burnt garlic.
- Add everything else to the pot.
- Add the cooked meats, the beans (drained and rinsed) 1/2 of a 1 lb. bag of corn, the spices but NOT THE SALT. I always salt after a dish is cooked. Especially when canned vegetables are used. Stir to combine.
- Add a large serving spoon full of peanut butter to the chili.
- Add 1/2 a bar of chocolate. Stir once melted.
- Let the simmer on low for 45 minutes or longer. I love to let it simmer all afternoon. The flavors just marry and meld together and get better with time. This freezes beautifully.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 627 Total Fat: 29g Saturated Fat: 10g Trans Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 15g Cholesterol: 91mg Sodium: 660mg Carbohydrates: 52g Fiber: 13g Sugar: 7g Protein: 42g
this post originally published Jan 25, 2013
Robin Glembotzky says
I’ve heard of chocolate but never Peanut Butter in Chili!! whatever possessed you to add that? And how does it help the taste?
Sarah Mock says
Adding peanut butter is something I picked up when I was in culinary college. I was helping a chili competition team with a recipe, it was added, the chili won. I can’t argue with that! I think it adds a slight sweetness to cut a bit of the heat with out being overly sugary.
Singerinkitchen says
Wow, yep first time seeing peanut butter in chili. Sounds delish!
Sarah Mock says
I get that a lot. We love it.
Sarah says
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