Hearty Beef and Sausage Chili Recipe
This Hearty Beef and Sausage Chili Recipe is a go-to for a delicious and filling meal everyone will love. In just 45 minutes, you’ll go from kitchen prep to enjoying a meaty bowl of chili bursting with flavors. Make it on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.
This chili with ground beef and sausage is cooked on the stovetop and is hearty and satisfying, just like my Chicken and Dumplings with Canned Biscuits and my Skillet Cornbread Chili Casserole.
A big pot of classic beef chili is packed with meat and beans and is perfect for those cold winter days. So grab a blanket, a book, and a big bowl of chili, and you are all set for a cozy evening.
Jump to:
- 💗Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 🥘 Ingredients Needed for this Meaty Chili Recipe
- 📖Recipe Substitutions And Variations
- 🔪How to Make This Recipe
- 🌶️Best Toppings For Chili
- 💭Top Tip
- Want To Make A Pot Of Meatless Chili?
- How To Store Leftover Chili
- ❔Recipe FAQs
- Hearty Soups and Stews
- Recipe
- Hearty Beef and Sausage Chili Recipe
💗Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- What I love most about this chili is the mix of beef and sausage. It’s perfect for cold weather, and the spices can be customized to suit your taste. A chili for those cozy nights when you crave something warm and flavorful in every bite.
- It comes together super quickly, and everyone loves it. Leftovers are great the next day and reheat nicely.
- A budget-friendly meal with simple pantry ingredients.
🥘 Ingredients Needed for this Meaty Chili Recipe
These ingredients create a flavorful and hearty pot of stovetop chili that is perfect for any day of the week. Adjust the spices and seasonings based on your taste preferences, and you’ll have a delicious pot of hearty chili in no time. See the printable recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and amounts.
Ground Beef – I prefer to use ground beef with a moderate fat content; the fat gives the chili flavor. If I have venison in the freezer, I will use that instead of ground beef. This hamburger steak with onions and gravy is another family favorite made with ground beef.
Ground Sausage—Ground pork sausage adds a lot of flavor to the chili. Choose a good brand, and it will be seasoned just right. I like hot sausage. but this is a preference. This Crock Pot Sausage Tortellini Soup is another fantastic sausage recipe.
Onion – Sweet, white, or yellow onion is cooked with the meat. If Vidalia onions are in season, I prefer to use them. Just like with my pickled onions with apple cider vinegar.
Chili Powder – I use the store bought for convenience. Adjust as needed.
Diced Tomatoes—I use canned diced tomatoes. If you have canned tomatoes from the summer, use those. Fire-roasted tomatoes would also taste great.
Kidney Beans and Black Beans – Red kidney beans are a classic chili choice. Choose between light and dark kidney beans. Black beans add a nice touch of color and texture. Rinse the beans before adding them to the chili. Black bean chili is hearty and filling. In my opinion, these two beans are the best beans for chili.
Crushed Tomatoes – Crushed tomatoes add a thick and rich base for the chili. Recipe Tip: If you don’t have crushed tomatoes, add a can of regular tomatoes to the blender and pulse until crushed.
Rotel Tomatoes – These are optional, but add a kick of heat to your chili.
📖Recipe Substitutions And Variations
Sausage and ground beef chili is a great recipe and can be changed in endless ways. If you don’t like an ingredient, change it, add to it, or leave it out. These are suggestions and ways to change the taste.
- Substitute the ground meat (beef and pork) with a few of your favorites for chili meat. Ground turkey, venison, stew beef, beef brisket, leftover link sausage, bacon, or leftover pulled pork would be great swaps.
- Swap out the beans in this chili for navy beans, pinto beans, or a few of your favorites.
- Add some diced bell peppers – a green or red bell pepper will add color.
- Add a few diced or sliced jalapenos for a kick of heat and flavor.
🔪How to Make This Recipe
Ready to make Chili with Beef and Sausage? Here are the step-by-step instructions. With just a few easy steps, you can have a pot of chili on the stove (or slow cooker) in no time.
Step 1: Cook the Meat and Onions: In a large pot, scramble beef, sausage, and onion until the meat is no longer pink. Drain any grease in the pot.
Step 2: Add Chili Powder: Add chili powder and stir into the meat.
Step 3: Mix in Ingredients: Add diced tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, crushed tomatoes, and water. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
Step 4: Serve and Enjoy: When the chili is ready, serve it in bowls. You can eat it with crackers, jalapeno skillet cornbread, or corn chips. Add your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, jalapenos, or shredded cheese.
If you crave something more, my Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe and Creamy Coleslaw with Mayonnaise would be great as a side dish.
🌶️Best Toppings For Chili
Add extra toppings to your bowl of chili. Here are a few of my favorite chili toppings. Choose your favorites or add a little bit of everything. The choice is yours.
- Hot Sauce
- Green Onions
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Lime Wedges
- Sour Cream
- Diced Jalapeno
💭Top Tip
To create an award-winning chili recipe that everyone will love, brown the beef, pork, and onions before adding the other ingredients. Allow time for the chili to simmer to enhance the depth and flavors.
Want To Make A Pot Of Meatless Chili?
Leave the meat out if you do not want a meaty chili. Instead, I would add more beans. A can or two of kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans would make a nice pot of chili. You might even add some bell pepper and celery to give it flavor.
How To Store Leftover Chili
Store all leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftover chili is good for 3-4 days.
To reheat: Place in a microwave safe container, or place in a pot on the stovetop and heat until warm.
To Freeze Chili with Beans: Place leftovers in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, heat, and serve.
❔Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. This classic meaty chili would be delicious on chili dogs, and in most instances, this is what I use instead of a store-bought chili.
Absolutely. Making slow-cooker ground beef and sausage chili is a great way to have dinner waiting for you when you return home from work. Cook the meat and onion in a large skillet, drain, and then add them to the slow cooker with the other ingredients. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
You can absolutely cook ground beef and sausage at the same time. This is the best homemade chili recipe loaded with flavor.
If you don’t have spicy sausage or prefer a milder one instead, you can use a regular mild sausage or omit it altogether. Substitute the sausage for more ground beef or another type of meat.
Ground meat and pork are a nice combination for chili meat. Ground turkey, venison, stew beef chunks, beef brisket, link sausage, Italian sausage, bacon, or leftover pulled pork would also be great meat combinations.
Hearty Soups and Stews
If you tried this Hearty Beef and Sausage Chili Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Hearty Beef and Sausage Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound spicy ground sausage
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 onion diced
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 15 oz. can kidney beans
- 14.5 oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes plus 1 can water (refill this can with water)
- 10 oz. can Rotel Tomatoes (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the Meat and Onions: In a large pot, scramble beef, sausage, and onion until the meat is no longer pink. Drain any grease in the pot.
- Add Chili Powder: Add chili powder and stir into the meat.
- Mix in Ingredients: Add diced tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, crushed tomatoes, and water. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
- Serve and Enjoy: When the chili is ready, serve it in bowls. You can eat it with crackers, cornbread, or corn chips. Add your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, jalapenos, or shredded cheese.
Notes
- Hot Sauce
- Green Onions
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Lime Wedges
- Sour Cream
- Diced Jalapeno
Absolutely love! Perfect for cold months and is so easy to make!
Yum I love chili. I will have to try this recipe out! Thanks so much for sharing!
This is a perfect dinner for our cold night tonight! I am looking forward to a big bowl of homemade beef and sausage chili with some cornbread to go with it! Great recipe!
Thanks for this recipe as my husband and sons like a homemade beef chili. I like it as it is an easy one for my son to learn. He is moving out of home soon and this is something he could easily make. I also like it as it uses pantry staples that we usually have on hand.