Smoky beef and bean chili recipe

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One of my favorite dishes to make is chili.  It’s effortless, great for any season, and it freezes perfectly!  It’s also a great source of protein, and can be very good for you when it’s not coming from a can!  I’ve been making lots of chili over the last month because the hubs won’t stop eating all the frozen stock I put away.  He eats it on everything.  Fries, hot dogs, rice, nachos, potatoes….you name it, he’ll cover it with chili.  Luckily it’s made with ingredients that are simple to find at any grocery store, and I spend about 10 minutes physically preparing it, so it’s not too bad.  Don’t let the longer list of spice ingredients scare you off either.  I promise this spice mix is 1000x times better than what you get in the pack at the store, and it’s wheat and preservative free!

My favorite two ingredients in this chili are the sausage and the smoked paprika.  Something about chili with sausage is just SO much better to me than plain ol’ beef.  Of course, if you don’t eat pork, just switch it out for more beef.  If you aren’t familiar with smoked paprika, it is one of my most favorite spices of all time.  It’s subtle and smoky, and you don’t need too much, but it gives you a delicious finish that would make you swear that the meat in your chili had been cooked on a smoker.  Just don’t go nuts with it, too much smoky flavor can be a bad thing!

Smoky beef and bean chili

The Bizy Mommy’s Best Chili Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Tbs oil
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 lb beef
1 lb sausage (I use mild)
1 can light red kidney beans (drained)
1 can chili beans (I use mild)
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
2 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
4 beef bouillion cubes
4 cups water
1.5 Tbs chili powder
1/4 Tbs red pepper flakes
1.5 Tbs onion powder
2 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs parsley
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs salt

Smoky beef and bean chiliDirections:

1. Heat oil on medium high in a stock pot and add in pepper and onion.  Cook until the onions start to soften.
2. Add in beef and sausage and cook on medium high until browned throughout.
3. Add in all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent burning to the bottom.
4. Once boiling, reduce heat to low/med and cover.  Let simmer for at least 2 hours, the longer the better.

(Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe)

Smoky beef and bean chili

-It’s going to look *really* thin while it’s simmering.  Don’t worry, it thickens up as it cooks and then cools.

-The red pepper flakes give it a tiny bit of heat, but it’s not spicy.  If you don’t do heat, leave that out.  If you love heat, keep on pourin!

-You can sub out 4 c. beef broth for the bouillion cubes and water.

-Smoked paprika *really* gives this a nice finish.  If you can get it, I would really suggest using it!

-This makes about 16-18 cups of chili, so if you don’t need a ton, throw it in the freezer for lazy dinner nights!

-If your slow cooker is big enough, you could definitely simmer the chili in it all day.  I would still cook the peppers, onions, and meat in another pot first though, and then add in everything on medium heat for an hour, and then low heat for another 3-4.

Hope you enjoy our family’s favorite chili recipe!  Let me know what you think!

 

 

Keep on saving!  :o)
--Barbara

**Remember, y'all, this post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Comments

  1. Wow… that looks super yummy! We had chili last night!

  2. YUM! Thanks for sharing! Great for a chilly day! Pinning!

  3. This looks really good.

  4. We usually have turkey chili here. I think the substitution would work well here!

    • You could definitely sub out the meats. I just love the mix of beef and sausage. 🙂 Plus my hubby won’t touch ground turkey with a 10 foot pole. He’ll eat a whole turkey by himself at Thanksgiving though, lol!

  5. I would love to try this. I’ve never had chili with sausage, but it does sound so flavorful! I’d like to try it with smoked paprika too. I look forward to trying this recipe this winter!

    • Thanks Tesa! It gives it a different flavor, I actually learned to add in the sausage years ago when I worked at a local breakfast restaurant. Smoked paprika is my new favorite spice. It’s amazing on deviled eggs and in chicken salad!

  6. Katherine G says

    This looks so delicious.

Trackbacks

  1. […] of my favorite winter dishes, aside from my smoky beef and bean chili, is Brunswick stew.  If you aren’t from the South, you might not have had the pleasure of […]

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