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.

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:

1. Shredded cheddar cheese
2. Sour Cream
3. Chives
4. Salsa
5. Tortilla chips
6. Squeeze of lime
7. Corn Bread
8. Cilanto
9. Diced jalapenos

Pin to Pinterest:

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!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 268

Author: Sarah

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

Follow Savoring The Good On PinterestFollow @SavoringTheGood or tag #STGRecipes!

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.

Want to share when you made this recipe?Follow @SavoringTheGood & tag #STGRecipes!

Nutrition Facts

Easy Chili

Amount Per Serving

Calories 268 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 16g 25%

Saturated Fat 6g 30%

Cholesterol 53mg 18%

Sodium 147mg 6%

Potassium 537mg 15%

Total Carbohydrates 15g 5%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 2g

Protein 15g 30%

Vitamin A 44.8%

Vitamin C 37%

Calcium 6.9%

Iron 26.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates.

Like this recipe card? Want one for your site?Check out WP Recipe Maker!

this post originally published Jan 25, 2013