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
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.
Ingredients to make this chili recipe:
- Ground beef
- bulk sausage
- crushed tomatoes
- Kidney Beans
- Cannellini Beans
- onions
- Bell pepper
- Frozen corn
- garlic
- Peanut butter
- Chocolate
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Salt & Pepper
Easy Chili Directions
- Brown both the ground beef and the sausage.
- Remove the cooked meat and keep the meat drippings in the pan to sauté the vegetables.
- Add the grated garlic to the vegetables.
- Add everything else to the pot.
- Add the cooked meats, the beans (drained and rinsed) ½ of a 1 lb. bag of corn, the spices but NOT THE SALT.
- Add a large serving spoon full of peanut butter to the chili.
- Add ½ a bar of chocolate. Stir once melted.
- Let the simmer on low for 45 minutes or longer.
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.
Easy Chili
There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
EQUIPMENT
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground beef
- ½ 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
Easy Chili Directions
- Brown both the ground beef and the sausage.
- Remove the cooked meat and keep the meat drippings in the pan to sauté the vegetables.
- Add the grated garlic to the vegetables.
- Add everything else to the pot.
- Add the cooked meats, the beans (drained and rinsed) ½ of a 1 lb. bag of corn, the spices but NOT THE SALT.
- Add a large serving spoon full of peanut butter to the chili.
- Add ½ a bar of chocolate. Stir once melted.
- Let it simmer on low for 45 minutes or longer.
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.
Video
Notes
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
- Cilantro
- Diced jalapenos
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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this post was originally published Jan 25, 2013
BeaBee
Wow,so good,glad I tried this recipe. Thank you!!!( ◜‿◝ )♡
Sarah
comment
Sarah Mock
I get that a lot. We love it.
Singerinkitchen
Wow, yep first time seeing peanut butter in chili. Sounds delish!
Sarah Mock
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.
Robin Glembotzky
I've heard of chocolate but never Peanut Butter in Chili!! whatever possessed you to add that? And how does it help the taste?