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
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
- 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.
- Drain the extra fat.
- Add the onions, celery, and garlic, and cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
Chiliville sounds like an amazing place!! LOL! My hubby's favorite food is chili so I'm always looking for new chili recipes. I've never made one with sausage before! But it sounds SO good! Can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteYay Chiliville! I'd never tried it with sausage either. My husband couldn't stop raving about it!
DeleteYum that looks amazing! The weather has just turned chilly here so I think this might be on the menu one night soon. Great pick for SRC!
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan!
DeleteWhat a FAB recipe for reveal day Karen and such lovely photos too!
ReplyDeleteThis is seriously good looking chilli, and great photos too. I love Rebekah's blog, and this was a great pick this month.
ReplyDeleteGreat pick Karen - we loved that chili recipe; I haven't made it in too long but it sounds good! :) I'm so glad you enjoyed it; and oh my wrapped in a tortilla with guacamole??! YES please! :)
ReplyDeleteDarn I totally want to move to chiliville!
ReplyDeleteRight? Me too!
DeleteThat looks so good! Had to pin it to try soon :) Happy reveal day!
ReplyDeleteAnd at 9 am I suddenly want chili cheese fries! Love! Happy Reveal Day!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should open up a Chiliville Restaurant. It is a great name!
ReplyDeleteThe name alone makes me love this recipe! It looks delicious, can't wait to give this a try!
ReplyDeleteFunny how this post coincided with 2 aspects of my "kitchen/blogging life." First, I just joined the Secret Recipe Club, so I was interested to read how it works for you and how you explained the concept to your readers. Second, I happen to have a bunch of kidney and cannellini beans in my refrigerator and was just thinking about making chili - guess I won't have to dig up a recipe!
ReplyDeleteHow cool that you've joined!!! How sweet that you wanted to see how I explain the concept. =) You're going to have a lot of fun in this club!
DeleteI love chili. And your recipe sounds totally delicious, I will make it, no question. Thanks for sharing and inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe looks great and hearty!
ReplyDeleteI love Rebekah's blog and have found some great recipes there before, too! This is a fabulous choice for the SRC this month - YUM!
ReplyDeleteI love a good chili! This looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteSo delicious!! Tonight was pretty cold...perfect chili weather. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI love chilli...such wonderful comfort food! Yours looks amazing! Great SRC pick!
ReplyDeleteHappy Reveal Day~ Everyone loves chili:) Lynn
ReplyDeleteI love a bowl of chili, and if it is really spicy, even better!
ReplyDeletegreat choice for your assignment this month, Karen!
Oooh, I love that this has Italian sausage in it! Sounds like a wonderful, hearty meal.
ReplyDeleteyum! Chili is one of my favorite foods. Great pick this month!
ReplyDeleteI have never thought to put chili in a tortilla - genius!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so wonderful. We're have a lot of foggy chilly days right now and this would hit the spot! And those chili cheese fries sound fabulous!
ReplyDelete