wordpress statistics

↑

Simply Being Mommy

Houston Texas Mom Blogger + Influencer

You are here: Home / Recipes / Italian Sausage Chili

Recipes

Italian Sausage Chili

• 53 Comments

Tweet28
Share7
Share
Pin26
61 Shares

The leaves are changing, stores are decorated with holiday flair, and even the weather in Texas has begun to shift downward. Halloween night, the temps here in Texas dipped down into the 30’s folks. The 30’s. In October. In Texas. That just isn’t right. But with the dip in temperature brings the need for warmth and comfort food.

I’ve partnered with Johnsonville again to bring you a delicious, perfect for cold weather recipe! My task was to create a recipe that would normally call for ground beef and switch it out with Johnsonville’s Ground Italian Sausage. It’s an all natural sausage and comes in Mild, Hot and Sweet. I’ve used each kind, in different recipes, and I decided to go with Mild for this Italian Sausage Chili recipe.

It's almost time to start pulling out the sweaters and jackets. While it may be cold outside, this Italian Sausage Chili is sure to warm you up inside.

My least favorite time of the year is actually winter. While I love all the comforting chilis, soups and stews, I don’t get along with cold weather very well. My husband loves to feel the cold, brisk air on his face, and I’m bundled up with 2 jackets, mittens, multiple scarves and blankets. My entire winter is spent within arms reach of a portable heater.

It's almost time to start pulling out the sweaters and jackets. While it may be cold outside, this Italian Sausage Chili is sure to warm you up inside.

There is something so incredibly comforting about a bowl of chili. As it was cooking on the stove, the aroma of chili powder, paprika, and cumin filled the house. Waiting for all the flavors to combine and meld together was an intense 30 or so minutes, but the end result was totally worth the wait.

Italian Sausage Chili

Italian Sausage Chili

Italian Sausage Chili

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Switch out the ground beef for Johnsonville's Ground Italian Sausage for a delicious and comforting Italian Sausage Chili.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 pounds Johnsonville Mild Ground Italian Sausage
  • 2 cups onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, with juice
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cans dark red kidney beans
  • 1 can white kidney beans (cannellini)
  • salt, to taste
  • grated cheese & chopped green onions, for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown. Add onions, minced garlic, chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, black pepper and thyme. Cook for about five minutes, stirring often.
  • Add chicken broth and with a wooden spoon scrape down sides and bottom of pan. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and beans; stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pot.
  • Season with salt to taste, and serve with grated cheese and green onions (optional).

    • By switching out the ground beef for ground Italian sausage, you definitely notice it’s not ground beef. I think the ground Italian sausage adds a little more flavor and depth, which in turns makes for a delicious bowl of chili.

    It's almost time to start pulling out the sweaters and jackets. While it may be cold outside, this Italian Sausage Chili is sure to warm you up inside.

    And the leftovers y’all — even better! I always try to make more than my family can eat at dinner because it’s so easy to heat up in a small pan on the stove for lunch the next day! Or if you work outside of the home, it’s easy to heat up at home before you leave and put in a thermos so that it stays warm until lunchtime.

    It's almost time to start pulling out the sweaters and jackets. While it may be cold outside, this Italian Sausage Chili is sure to warm you up inside.

    I always consider meal time a success when each of my children eats their food without complaints. My youngest wasn’t interested at first because he happened to see the tomatoes going in, but once I actually enticed him to taste it, he ate the whole bowl!  Success.

    It's almost time to start pulling out the sweaters and jackets. While it may be cold outside, this Italian Sausage Chili is sure to warm you up inside.

    With two more pounds of Johnsonville Ground Italian Sausage in the refrigerator, my mind is already going with other tasty swaps. I’m thinking an Italian Sausage Bolognese is up next!

    Other recipes using Johnsonville sausage:

    In what recipe would you swap out ground beef for ground Italian Sausage?

    Tweet28
    Share7
    Share
    Pin26
    61 Shares

    About Crystal

    Crystal Reagan, the owner and founder of SimplyBeingMommy.com lives in Small Town, Texas with her husband and 3 children. Crystal and her website have been featured on local and national news stations including Channel 2 Houston and ABC News. She has also appeared on BetterTV as a Mommy Expert for VTech.

    Comments

    1. Tammy says

      Ooh, it would make a great twist on lasagna! I’ve actually never cooked with ground sausage before, I’m intrigued to try it now to substitute ground beef.

      Reply

    4. LyndaS says

      I would use it in your recipe. It looks good and the ingredient list is certainly doable. (I just pinned it for later.)

      Come to think of it, it would probably be good in spaghetti or lasagna.

      Reply

    5. Kecia says

      It’s time to start thinking about all the warm comfort food since Winter is on the way. I haven’t made chili in our slow cooker all summer – I think we are due for a little Italian Sausage Chili in this house!

      Reply

    6. Karen W says

      Oh I would definitely use it in a chili! I actually recently did this with a pasta fagioli recipe I had that called for beef but I used sausage. It gave it amazing flavor.

      Reply

    26. Marcie W. says

      I never considered using sausage in my chili recipe but just love this fabulous idea! I just pinned this recipe and will be adding it to next week’s meal plan along with some fresh cornbread.

      Reply

    28. Heather says

      I can see you wrote this awhile ago. I am hoping for Spring now, but know we need the snow and rain for a good Spring. This looks delicious on a cold day!

      Reply

    30. Michele says

      30 sounds like a heat wave to me right now–I am in NY and it is VERY COLD. Chili sounds good about now. I never thought to swap out the hamburger for sausage-have to try that variation!

      Reply

    31. Theresa says

      My husband’s best friend brings over a pot of chili every Halloween and uses Italian sausage. It is some of the best chili we’ve ever had!

      Reply

    38. Erica (@Erica's Recipes) says

      I do love me some chili! Such an easy comforting dish. Love sausage too, so I bet it is great in chili. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply

    42. Megan @ C'mon Get Crafty says

      I am a huge fan of chili – and most cold weather comfort foods, honestly. Yours looks delicious!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Follow on Instagram
    Skip to Recipe