Description
A delicious crowd pleaser chili for all occasions with family, friends, football, or just a cold winter day!
Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb italian sausage – your choice of hot, mild, or sweet, purchase ground sausage or links and remove the casings
1 onion chopped
2 large bell peppers – 1 green and one orange or yellow
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 – 15 oz cans of pinto beans (sometimes I substitute black beans or a mix of the 2)
1 – 28 oz can of plain crushed tomatoes
2 – 14.5 oz cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 – 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 – 4 oz can of mild diced chiles (I use 1/2 of this to avoid it being too spicy and offer the rest as garnish for others who may like more spice)
2 T Worcestershire
1 up reduced sodium beef broth
3 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 T knorr beef seasoning
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp coriander
freshly ground salt & pepper to taste, start small and add more as needed later during the cooking process
2 bay leaves
Optional Garnishes – shredded cheese, cilantro, jalapenos, sour cream, chips, green onions, crackers
Instructions
Instructions for sautéing in the crockpot:
- 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.
- Add garlic and sauté another 1 minute.
- Now 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, and transfer 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.
- Finally, add all of the rest of the ingredients and stir.
- 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
- 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. Everything can be seared, sautéed, and then slow cooked in this crockpot.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 3 hours