On Super Bowl Sunday I came up with the novel idea of making chili. I thought it would be fun to make white bean dip and black bean burgers as well, and I named our 2-person Super Bowl party “Bean Fest 2012”. That was some serious overreaching on my part. When all the chili ingredients were finally simmering in the crockpot, I made the white bean dip and it was b-l-a-n-d. Back to the drawing board for that recipe. At this point the festival promoter had had enough of beans and needed a nap. That’s what I love about a crockpot- you can walk away for an hour or a day. If you don’t have a crockpot, you can make this chili in a big pot and let it simmer for an hour or so. Still really good.
When corn is in season I grill a couple of cobs and throw the kernels in the chili. You can add other veggies or different varieties of beans and more or less “heat.” The veggie sausage makes this a hearty, meaty chili that will satisfy everyone at your table. “Bean Fest 2012” didn’t happen the way I’d planned, but once we settled down with a bowl of chili and a cold beer we quickly got over the disappointment.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage
- 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 10-oz can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
- 1 15-oz can red beans
- 2 15-oz cans black beans
- 1 15-oz can kidney beans
- 1 15-oz can pinto beans
- 1 12-oz beer or 12 oz of vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1½ tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1-2 dried chipotle chilis (soak in ¼ cup hot water for 15 minutes, then mince)
- ½ tsp salt (or more to taste)
- ½ tsp pepper (or more to taste)
- Diced avocado, green onions, tomatoes
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and saute the onions, green pepper, jalapeño, and garlic for about five minutes. Throw them in the crockpot. In the same skillet crumble and brown the veggie sausage and add that to the crockpot. Add everything else. Cook on low anywhere from 3-8 hours stirring occasionally, or simmer in a pot on the stove for an hour.
This recipe is fantastic. Its one of the most savory chili’s I’ve tasted. Thanks Karen