Name: Italian Sausage Chili
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb. Italian Sausage; 1 lb. ground beef; 1 red bell pepper (seeded and chopped); 1 green bell pepper (seeded and chopped); 1 yellow onion (chopped); 1 jalapeno (seeded and chopped); 30 ounce tomato sauce; 15 ounce diced tomatoes with juice; 3 Tablespoons Franks hot sauce; 2 cloves minced garlic; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 1 teaspoon cumin; Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chips, and/or cilantro and green onion, for serving

Jump to Recipe

Cozy up this fall with a warm bowl of our Italian Sausage Chili. This no bean chili with Italian sausage and beef is rich and meaty, with just the right amount of heat. We love to serve it with our Gluten Free Cornbread. Plus it’s made in just over 30 minutes!

It’s Chili Season!

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s officially chili season. Bring on all the warm and comforting dishes; we are so here for it. Here’s a pro tip, though—don’t pull a Kevin from The Office and dump your chili all over the floor. Two hands, people. Two hands!

This Italian Sausage Chili is one of our favorites for the fall months. While we love our classic No Bean Chili, the sweetness of Mom’s Green Bean Chili, and our CONTEST WINNING Slow Cooker Steak Chili, we make this version when we’re craving some spice! The Italian sausage adds hints of fennel while a healthy glug of Frank’s red hot sauce heats things up.

A bowl of Italian Sausage Chili with cheesy chips.

Table of Contents

Much to Love about Italian Sausage Chili

It’s made in one pot. You only need one soup pot or dutch oven to make this recipe. We call that a win!
It’s fast. Some chili recipes have to simmer away all day. This one is ready from start to finish in about 30 minutes.
It’s customizable. You can make this chili to fit your tastes. If you’re not a fan of spice, you can leave out the hot sauce, and you can use whatever toppings you like best.
You can make it ahead of time. This is a great recipe to make, freeze, and then pull out when you need a quick dinner. Our chili can be frozen for several months and then thawed overnight in the fridge.

Ingredients for Italian Sausage No Bean Chili on a table.

Key Ingredients for No Bean Chili

Italian sausage – The star of the show. Italian sausage adds a really rich, meaty flavor to this. The hits of fennel are especially delightful. If you want more heat, use a hot Italian sausage. It tastes even better on the second day! For more Italian sausage goodness, try making this Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup, this Italian Sausage Stew, or the Harlem Meatloaf recipe that this chili takes its inspiration from.
Ground beef – Ground beef pairs well with the Italian sausage and gives the chili more substance.
Veggies – We’ve got red and green bell peppers, onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Make sure you seed the jalapeno before adding it to the chili unless you like a LOT of heat.
Tomatoes – You’ll use both tomato sauce and diced tomatoes for this chili. Don’t throw out the juice in the diced tomatoes; it adds more flavor!
Frank’s hot sauce – We love adding a bit of hot sauce to this chili, but like we said before, you can omit it if you’d prefer.

A cheesy tortilla chip dips from a bowl of Italian Sausage Chili.

Toppings for Italian Sausage Chili

This no bean chili is the perfect base for a variety of toppings. Here are some of our favorite toppings:

Cheesy tortilla chips- We love to top some chips with shredded cheese and put them under the broiler for a few minutes to melt, then using them to scoop up the chili.
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Corn chips
Crackers
Cilantro
Green onion
Avocado

*Basically, any ingredients you would use for Walking Tacos work perfectly here as toppings.

How to Make Beanless Chili

Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the pot. Add the bell peppers, onion, and jalapeno and saute until beginning to soften, about five minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the Italian sausage and ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon or metal spatula. Cook for about 7 minutes, or until browned. Sprinkle the mixture with salt, to taste.
Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Franks, chili powder, and cumin. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low then allow everything to simmer together for 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Taste. Add salt, pepper, or additional Franks red hot sauce for heat if desired.
Serve with toppings of your choice.

Close up of a scoop of Italian Sausage Chili.

FAQs

Can you make Italian Sausage Chili ahead of time?

You sure can! This chili can be kept in the fridge for several days. In fact, we think it gets even better on the second and third days.

Can you freeze chili?

Yes! This chili freezes really well. Allow it to cool completely and store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge, and you’ll have dinner ready in a flash!

Does cooking chili longer make it better?

For this recipe we find that refrigerating the Italian Sausage Chili overnight has the same flavor-enhancing effect as a longer cook time.

Bowls of Italian Sausage Chili served with cheesy chips.

Generally speaking, low and slow cooking makes meat, broth and veggie flavors combine better. (For proof, try our Braised Beef Short Ribs or Slow Cooker Shredded Beef recipes). But in this chili recipe, we’re using ground meats (not a roast, cubes of steak, or a whole cut), so there’s just not as much meat mass to soak up flavors, and you don’t want to risk losing too much moisture to evaporation with a longer cook time.

Do you brown meat before making chili?

Yes. You’ll want to brown the sausage and ground beef after adding in the peppers and onions but before adding in the tomatoes. Otherwise you’ll end up with mushy meat.