Italian Sausage Chili Recipe

Chili is a great one pot meal that your whole family can and will enjoy.  Below is my recipe for a delicious and spicy chili that is made Italian sausage instead of ground beef, kidney beans, ground beef chuck, garlic, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika and other seasonings.  Normally I would add more garlic but since the Italian sausage already has garlic in them 1 garlic clove is enough.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
4 tablespoons of jalapeño chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/4 pound of mild Italian sausage, with casings removed
1 1/4 pounds of hot Italian sausage, with casings removed
3 tablespoons of chili powder
1 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes in juice
1 (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
1 (14 oz.) can of beef broth
3 (15 oz.) cans of kidney beans, drained

Instructions:

Take a Dutch oven and add your oil into it.  Then place it over a medium high heat.  When it gets  slightly hot add in your onions and bell peppers and sauté your vegetables until they are tender.  This should take 4 or 5 minutes.  At that point add in your jalapeños and garlic and sauté for an additional minute.  Now add and crumble in your Italian sausage and cook it until it has browned.  Make certain your break up your sausage as it cooks.  Continue cooking until your sausage has browned and any liquid has cooked away.  This should take about 5 minutes.

Next, add in your chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, sugar, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth and kidney beans and bring it to a boil.  You will want to reduce your heat when it comes to a boil and bring it to a simmer.  Now let your chili cook for 45 to 60 minutes so that your flavors can come together and your chili can thicken.  Make certain that you stir your chili periodically as it cooks, especially during the last 20 minutes.