Black Bean Chili with Chicken Sausage

Chili with meat and beans makes a warm, hearty dish on a cold, winter evening. But it doesn’t need to be heavy to be good. This simple recipe is loaded with robust flavor and nutritious ingredients. Black beans, fresh vegetables, aromatic spices, and lean (well, leaner than pork) chicken sausage make this dish lighter than it tastes.

Note: We like thick chili in my house. If you like it thinner, add a little chicken broth when you add the beans.

You may also like Slow-Cooker Chipotle Chili or Texas-Style Chili with Dried-Chile Broth.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb Italian chicken sausage
• 2 jalapeno chiles, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 28-oz can organic whole, peeled tomatoes, with juice
• 2 tbsp chile powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• sea salt
• 1 15-oz can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
• shredded monterrey jack cheese, for serving (optional)

Chili Ingredients 

Chopped Ingredients

Preparation

1. Heat a stockpot over medium heat and add the oil. Add the sausage and next 4 ingredients (through green bell pepper) and cook 7-8 minutes, breaking up the sausage as it cooks.
2. Add the tomatoes with juice, chile powder, cumin, and oregano and season with salt.
3. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook 1 hour.
4. Add the black beans and cook an additional 15-20 minutes.

Chicken Mixture Beginning to Cook

Cooked Chicken Mixture 

Tomato Mixture Added

After 1 Hour 

Beans Added

Cooked Chili

To serve, divide the chili among 4 bowls and serve right away.

Black Bean Chili with Chicken Sausage