Slow Cooker Chili With Ground Beef and Sausage

Slow cooker chili with ground beef and sausage

The Spruce

 

  • 6 hrs 50 mins
  • Prep: 20 mins,
  • Cook: 6 hrs 30 mins
  • Yield: 8 Servings
Ratings (52)

By Diana Rattray

Updated 07/06/18

This slow cooker ground beef and sausage chili is a great chili to enjoy on a cold fall or winter day. Black beans and tomatoes are among the ingredients, along with onions, hot and sweet peppers, and chili spices. Along with the chili powder, grill seasoning (e.g., Montreal steak seasoning or burger seasoning blend) and cumin add excellent flavor. 

This chili is also quite versatile. Feel free to replace the canned black beans with another kind of canned bean. Pinto beans, small red beans, or kidney beans would be good choices. The beans can be left out if you prefer an all-meat chili. For a hotter chili, add extra jalapeno peppers. Or, leave the hot peppers out and use a milder chile, like poblano, banana wax, or Anaheim peppers.

Serve this chili with freshly baked cornbread, biscuits, or crusty rolls.

See Also
32 Favorite Crock Pot Chili Recipes

What You'll Need

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (85%)
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 8 ounces smoked sausage (e.g., andouille, chicken chicken sausage, and chorizo)
  • 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 (4 ounce) can  mild green chile peppers
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers, or to taste
  • 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (8 ounce) can  tomato sauce
  • 1 (15 ounce) can  black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon grill seasoning (for beef, or seasoned salt)
  • 2-3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

How to Make It

  1. In a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the chopped onion until meat is no longer pink. Stir frequently.
  2. Dice the smoked sausage and add it to the browned ground beef along with the garlic and bell pepper;continue cooking for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
  3. Transfer the meat and vegetable mixture to the slow cooker.
  4. Add the mild chile peppers, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, tomato sauce, black beans, and seasonings.
  1. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for about 6 to 8 hours. Or cook the chili on HIGH for about 3 hours.

Tips and Variations

  • Omit part of the meat and add another can of beans (drained and rinsed).
  • Replace the smoked sausage with fresh chorizo, Italian sausage, or another spicy fresh sausage blend and brown it in the skillet along with the ground beef.
  • Use pinto beans, great northern, or kidney beans in the chili instead of black beans.
  • Fresh mild chile peppers may be added instead of the canned chile. Choose Anaheim chile peppers, Hatch, banana wax, or poblano peppers.
  • Serrano peppers may replace the jalapeno peppers, or omit the hot peppers if you prefer a mild chili.

 

 

Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
Calories 516
Total Fat 17 g
Saturated Fat 6 g
Unsaturated Fat 7 g
Cholesterol 91 mg
Sodium 960 mg
Carbohydrates 50 g
Dietary Fiber 14 g
Protein 42 g
(The nutrition information on our recipes is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Individual results may vary.)