Easy Slow Cooker Chili (With Sausage)

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This is a classic chili recipe with a twist adding ground and smoked sausage for more flavor! This easy slow cooker chili with sausage is full of onions, peppers, beans and tomatoes making it a hearty chili. It has delicious smoky earthy flavors and a hint of spiciness. The slow cooker pretty much does most of the work for you when it comes to this chili!

Two bowls of chili surrounded by a napkin, glass of drink, and lime and parsley garnish.

Why This Recipe Works

This recipe is easy to get on the table during those busy days! Our lives get so busy with the day-to-day responsibilities. Deadlines, appointments, proposals, social functions, the lists goes on!

This recipe is great for the beginner cook or someone that doesn’t like to be in the kitchen that much. After you brown the meat, this is a pretty much a dump a go recipe that you can start early in the morning, and it is ready for you when you get back home.

This recipe requires only a few steps. You don’t have to worry about soaking and cooking dry beans, which takes a bit off your prep and cooking time.

The magic of what makes this recipe a hit is using a low and slow simmering cooking method. This allows the beans, sauce and meats to absorb all of the spices, which makes for one flavorful dish.

Plus, it’s the perfect comfort food on rainy or cold days. It just warms you up during those wintery and fall seasons.

What Goes Into This Recipe

Slow cooker chili ingredients in clear bowls with each bowl labeled with each ingredient.

I used a variety of spices in this recipe because this is the key to great flavor for this one. Here’s a few notes on some of the key ingredients.

Chili powder, Cumin and Oregano– These spices help give it that smoky and earthy flavor.

Jalapenos – The jalapenos give it a little bit of a spicy flavor.

Ground and smoked sausage – This helps with flavor as well. It’s almost like an additional spice added. Depending on the flavored smoked meats you choose, like sweet or spicy sausage.

Pinto and Kidney Beans – This is a key ingredient for this recipe, plus it’s a great source of protein helping pack in that daily protein we need.

Green Peppers, Onions, Diced Tomatoes – These ingredients help make it chunky and hearty. Plus, if you use diced tomatoes with chilies, this helps with keeping it spicy.

How To Make It

Collage of process shots of how to cook slow cooker chill.

1. Brown the ground meat in a large pan on medium high heat. Remove the browned meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and add it to the slow cooker.

2. Add the sliced meat into the pan. Brown it on both sides and remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon and add it to the slow cooker.

3. Place the beans, garlic, onion, green pepper, jalapeno, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, oregano, pepper and salt in the slow cooker. Gently stir until all ingredients are combined.

4. Cover with a lid. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.

Cooked chili in a black slow cooker vessel with wooden spoon.

5. Once it finishes cooking, salt to tasted as needed.

Expert Tips

To make it spicier add another jalapeno. To make it even more spicy, do not remove the seeds from the jalapeno (fair warning this may make it too hot for some that don’t like that much spiciness).
To make it vegetarian you can omit the meat and substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
Add more vegetables. Corn is a pretty good addition to this recipe.
Meat substitutions can be used if you don’t like using pork. Use a chicken or turkey sausage or ground turkey or chicken in place of the ground meat.
Bean variations – You can use black beans or only just one bean such as just adding pinto beans. Or you can even add all three beans mentioned (black, pinto and kidney beans) to this recipe.
Using a slotted spoon to remove the browned meat from the pan helps to drain and decrease the amount of grease you add to the recipe.
If you would like for your sliced meat to have a crunch, add them into the slow cooker at the end of the cooking process.

FAQs

What do you serve with it?

You can’t have a bowl of this goodness without cornbread, right? Try out the cornbread recipe here. It’s so buttery and moist with some sweetness. It won’t disappoint.

There are so many ways to use these for different meals. Here’s some ideas:
Great topping for hotdogs and baked potatoes.
Delicious served as is with a side of buttery cornbread topped with some of the recommended toppings below.

You can add different toppings like:
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Chopped Green Onion
Slices of Jalapeno
Cilantro
Chopped Fresh Parsley
Corn chips or crumbled nacho or tortilla chips.

What beans are best for chili?

The more popular traditional beans to use are kidney, pinto beans. But you can add other beans like black beans too. There are even recipes using white beans like this recipe here.

How to store leftovers?

After you cook it, it can be stored in a covered container for up to three days in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat these leftovers, add them to a pot and heat using medium heat until they heat through.

Can you freeze it?

Absolutely! After it cools and comes to room temperature, place it in a freezer friendly food storage bag or container. It can stay in the freezer for 2-3 months. When you are ready to reheat it, put them in the fridge overnight to thaw and when ready to cook, add them to a medium to large pot and cook on medium heat until the it’s heated through.

Can you use the stove top to cook this?

Yep! If you are crunched for time, make this recipe using the stove top. To make this a one pot stove top recipe, use a large pot like a Dutch oven that you can brown the meats in.

After you brown the meats, remove the excess grease from the pot. Then, add all of the ingredients back into the pot. Cover the pot with a lid, and cook on medium low heat for 35 minutes. Then, salt to taste and serve.

Enjoying these slow cooker chili beans? You will love these warm and hearty soup recipes, too:

Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen has a great chili beans recipe, too.

Made this recipe?

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