This beef and sausage chili is a crowd pleaser for holiday gatherings, football watching parties, or for a family meal that will offer leftovers for the week. With a simple ingredient list and great flavor, you can make this chili your own with varied spice levels or try it our way.

Chili in a white bowl, garnished with shredded cheese, chunks of avocado, cilantro, and tortilla chips.

The Ingredients

In order to cook this beef and sausage chili, you will need a 6-quart (or larger) crockpot.

Beef and sausage chili ingredients:

The two meats you will need are one pound of lean ground beef and one pound of Italian sausage (your choice of hot, mild, or sweet).

For fresh vegetables, this recipe calls for chopped onion, chopped bell peppers (one yellow and one green), and minced garlic cloves.

Next, the pantry items include three cans of pinto beans, one large can of plain crushed tomatoes, two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes, one can of tomato sauce, one small can of green chiles, one cup of reduced sodium beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, Knorr beef seasoning, dried oregano, smoked paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper (optional), freshly ground salt and pepper to taste, and bay leaves.

Garnish options:

The list for garnishes could include but are not limited to: shredded cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, green onions, diced avocado, green chiles, jalapenos, tortilla or Frito chips or crackers.

How to Make this Chili

We love using the Cuisinart 4 in 1 crockpot for this recipe because you can sear the meat and veggies in the crockpot and don’t need to dirty an additional pan on the stove. You can sear, sauté, and then slow cook everything in this crockpot. Looking for a new crockpot? Check out this Cuisinart 4 in1 Crockpot and you won’t be disappointed. The instructions below will explain the process both ways.

For sautéing in the crockpot first:

If you have a slow cooker which can cook at this higher heat, brown the sausage and beef in the slow cooker on the sauté setting. Once the meat is browned, add the chopped onions and peppers and sauté the vegetables until soft, about 7 – 10 minutes. Now, add garlic and sauté another 1 minute. At this point, you can skip to the below instructions labeled “once meat and veggies are sautéed”.

For sautéing in the skillet first:

If you don’t have a crockpot which can sauté, first brown the sausage and beef in a large skillet on medium high heat. When it has finished cooking, transfer to the slow cooker to sit until ready. Then, without wiping or cleaning the meat grease or brown bits in the skillet, sauté the onions and peppers in that same skillet. Now, add garlic and sauté for one minute. Lastly transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker when they are soft.

Once meat and veggies are sautéed:

At this point, turn the heat on your crock pot to slow/ low cook mode. If you have 6 – 8 hours to cook this, slow cook on low (recommended). If you need it to cook faster in 3 – 4 hours, then slow cook on high.

Now, add all of the rest of the ingredients and stir.

all chili ingredients in the crockpot with the spices on top ready to be stirred in and cooked

Now, cook on low for 6 – 8 hours, or on high for 3 – 4 hours. As it cooks, taste and add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to your preference. Finally, dish into chili bowls. Then, serve with desired toppings such as sour cream, cheese, green onions, tortilla chips, Fritos, extra chiles, jalapeños, etc.

Notes for this Beef and Sausage Chili Recipe:

Consider that 4 in 1 crock pot if you love this and other crock pot recipes with the sautéing step… Cuisinart 4 in1 Crockpot