Dutch Oven Chili

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This hearty Dutch Oven Chili is loaded with beef, sausage, and beans and a flavorful blend of spices. Serve it with your favorite toppings for a meal everyone will love!

Bowl of chili topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, and jalapeno slices.

The perfect chili should be hearty, chunky, and heavily spiced for ultimate flavor. That’s exactly what this Dutch oven chili is! Whether you’re feeding cowboys or kids, everyone is sure to love it all the same!

Love chili? Try this Creamy White Chicken Chili! For a beefy soup, option try this Bistro French Onion Soup. Looking for a hearty vegetarian option? Then this Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup is just what you need!

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Ground Beef and Sausage – Using a mixture of ground beef and sausage adds more flavor to the chili. For the sausage, choose mild or hot depending on your preferences.

Kidney Beans – A hearty mixture of light and dark red kidney beans stands up to the other ingredients.

Crushed Tomatoes – Perfect for the sauce base sauce since they are thick and provide some texture.

Fire Roasted Tomatoes – Add a smoky flavor and chunkiness to the chili.

Seasoning Blend – Chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes make up the chili spice blend.

Brown Sugar – A small bit of brown sugar helps to balance everything out without making the chili sweet.

Jalapeño – Adds heat to the chili.

Why Make Chili In A Dutch Oven?

Dutch ovens are the ultimate pot for cooking chili. Their thick heavy bottoms and large sizes are perfect for low slow cooking. While this recipe uses a stove top for the heat source, you can also make your Dutch oven chili over a fire if you have that available to you. It’s the perfect camping or backyard meal!

Step By Step Instructions

Note: The recipe card below contains a full list of ingredients, their amounts, and instructions.

Step 1:

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Step 2:

Cooked ground beef, sausage, and diced onions in a Dutch oven with a wooden spoon.

Add the ground beef, ground sausage, and diced onion to the hot oil and cook for about 8 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.

Step 3:

Minced garlic and jalapeño on top of cooked ground meat.

Add the minced garlic and jalapeños and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until they have softened.

Step 4:

Tomato paste and spices on top of cooked ground meat.

Add the tomato paste and spices and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.

Step 5:

Ground meat, kidney beans, brown sugar, fire roasted tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes in a large Dutch oven with a wooden spoon.

Add the crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, water, beans, and brown sugar and stir until well combined.

Step 6:

Bring the chili to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow it to gently simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes.

Serve warm with toppings. Enjoy!

Bowl of chili with a spoon topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, and sliced jalapeños.

Tips & Tricks

Most of the heat in jalapeños comes from the ribs (the light green parts inside) and the seeds. If you like a lot of heat, dice up the entire jalapeño. If you like less heat, remove the ribs and seeds before chopping up the jalapeño.

Substitutions & Variations

Kidney beans are a great chili bean. However, pinto, black, Great Northern, and navy beans are also excellent choices.
This recipe calls for jalapeño peppers since they are a classic mid-level spicy pepper. However, you could also use habanero (extra hot!) or poblano peppers (less heat).

Storage & Reheating

Storage

Keep the chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheating

Microwave

Reheat the chili in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments until warmed through, stirring between each one.

Stove Top

Place the chili in a pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-low heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally.

Freezing

Chili is excellent for freezing. Place the fully cooled chili in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag before freezing. Use within 6 months.

Chili in a Dutch oven with a wooden spoon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this in a crockpot?

Sure! You’ll still need to cook the ground beef, sausage, onion, garlic, and jalapños on the stove. Then, transfer everything to a crockpot and cook on high for 2 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Can I skip the brown sugar for a sugar-free chili?

Absolutely! Adding a bit of sugar to savory dishes can help balance flavors similar to how adding salt to sweets helps bring out those flavors. However, you can leave the brown sugar out if you prefer to keep your chili sugar-free.

Should I cook the chili for several hours?

This recipe calls for simmering the chili for 30 minutes before serving. This ensures that the flavors have had time to come together and everything is cooked through. However, chili does benefit from longer cooking. If you have the time, allow your chili to simmer gently for several hours before serving.

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