Chiliville Chili

This Chiliville Chili is so easy to make, and has just the right amount of heat to clear your head. You can have it ready in about 40 minutes from start to finish. It's also an ideal make ahead meal. 

It's Secret Recipe Club time again (the fourth Friday of every month for our group), and this time I was assigned Rebekah's blog, Making Miracles.  She has a fabulous index of recipes on her blog that I had so much fun exploring. I fell in love with this Chiliville Chili, which Rebekah also used for these chili cheese fries. Oh my!

Rebekah started her blog to chronicle her experiences as a surrogate mother, thus the name, Making Miracles. She writes about her experiences here. It's pretty fascinating.  She is a sweet soul. 

I had assumed the name Chiliville came from some restaurant where Rebekah lives and that this was a copycat recipe. Wrong. There is no Chiliville! Darn! I so wanted to go there! 

Actually, this recipe was originally developed by Johnsonville Foods, a sausage company from Wisconsin. I get it! Johnsonville..... Chiliville.  Regardless, this chili is delicious. 

You can top this chili with cheese or sour cream, or just leave it plain as pictured above. We ended up topping it with grated English sharp white cheddar cheese. So melty good. 

The only change I made was to add a small roux of one tablespoon of cornstarch and some reserved broth at the end to thicken it a bit. Whether you do this or not is entirely up to your preference.

This chili is also excellent wrapped in a toasted flour tortilla and topped with guacamole. Trust me. 

Chiliville Chili Recipe

From Making Miracles,  Adapted from Johnsonville Foods

Ingredients

1 pound Italian sausage (I used hot, but you can use mild or sweet), casings removed

1 pound lean ground beef

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

4 small, or three large, celery stalks, chopped

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

About 44 ounces of canned diced tomatoes with green peppers and onions (such as Rotel)

2 cans (14 to 16 ounces each) of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

14 to 15 ounces of beef broth (reserve 1/4 cup)

1 six ounce can tomato paste

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp chile powder (I used chipotle)

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 T cornstarch

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. In a 6 to 8 quart saucepan or Dutch oven, brown the sausage and ground beef over medium heat, breaking it up as you cook it. Cook it until it is no longer pink.
2. Drain the extra fat. 
3. Add the onions, celery, and garlic, and cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes. 
4. Add the tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, sugar, chile powder, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. 
5. Mix the reserved broth and cornstarch to dissolve, and add it to the simmering chili. Cook, uncovered, stirring, until just slightly thickened, about 2 to 5 minutes. 

You can serve this immediately, or let it cool, refrigerate, and reheat it later. I think it is even better the next day.