Sausage Chili (Crockpot)

Sausage Chili made in the crockpot with lean Italian poultry sausage, ground turkey, classic chili seasonings, poblano, and jalapeno peppers is about to take comfort food to new levels. It’s delicious and will quickly become a family favorite – it’s even perfect for your next football party! Don’t worry about leftovers because this chili recipe freezes perfectly.

Where are all of my homemade chili fans? This Italian sausage chili recipe is about to change everything you thought you knew about this classic winter comfort food.

It never occurred to me to put Italian sausage into a chili recipe. Even though I love Italian food, chili never really screamed Italian. I’m more of a classic chili girl, this ground turkey chili and traditional beef chili are on repeat all winter in my house. But, the sausage gives this recipe a nice kick and has secured a dinner spot on our menu this winter.

Reasons you’ll love this recipe

• It’s delicious. With the sausage, spices, and peppers, this chili recipe is bursting with so many flavors.
• It cooks all day. Set your crockpot in the morning and come home to a super tasty dinner!
• It’s nutritious but also very filling. This healthy chili recipe is low in fat, calories, gluten-free, and will satisfy without making you feel full and bloated.
• It freezes great! Chili is one of my favorite recipes to freeze. You can freeze the chili into portion-controlled sizes for individual lunches or dinner. Or freeze in a big batch to have ready for a crowd.

Ingredients

• Italian Poultry sausage. You can find Italian poultry sausage next to the other Italian sausage in the meat department. Most likely, you’ll find links instead of ground. Just remove the casing before using it in the recipe.
• Ground turkey. Some recipes call for all ground sausage, but I prefer the balance of using ground turkey too. It pairs nicely with the sausage and gives the recipe more of a chili texture.
• Worcestershire sauce. For a rich meaty flavor adding Worcestershire sauce to the chili does the trick.
• White onions and garlic. Most chili recipes start with onions and garlic but if you don’t like fresh onions, use onion powder or flakes instead.
• Poblano and jalapeño peppers. These peppers give this chili recipe extra flavor and a kick of heat.
• Chili-style diced tomatoes. Plain diced tomatoes will work, but chili-style gives the recipe another layer of flavor.
• Tomato sauce. Using tomato sauce helps to bring the ingredients together.
• Black beans and pinto beans. What’s chili without beans? You can use Kidney beans or any favorite chili bean in place of the black and pinto beans.
• Chili seasoning. Chili powder, coriander, dried oregano, and garlic powder are classic spices used in most chili recipes. If you want a smokey flavor, add in smoked paprika or chipotle powder for extra spice.
• Chicken stock. You only need a small amount of stock to deglaze the pan so you don’t miss any bits that might get stuck. You can also use beef broth or vegetable broth. If you don’t have stock, then water will work fine.

Cooking Tips

• You can swap in ground beef and pork sausage. Of course, this will increase the saturated fat and calories of this sausage chili recipe, so something to keep. I do recommend giving the poultry sausage and ground turkey a try because nobody will know the difference.
• Don’t skip browning the meat. Browning the meat might seem tedious for a slow cooker recipe, but it does make a big difference in texture and flavor, so I recommend taking the time to do this step.
• Use your favorite beans. You can swap in cannellini beans (white kidney beans) or red kidney beans in this recipe.
• You can bulk up the veggies in this chili. Add green bell pepper or other bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, or other hearty vegetables to this chili. The extra veggies can go right into the slow cooker with the other ingredients.
• Adjust the heat levels. With the Italian sausage, spices, and peppers, this can quickly turn into a spicy chili recipe. If you want a milder chili, then I recommend choosing a mild Italian sausage. Also, make sure to remove the seeds from the peppers because that’s where all the heat is.

My Favorite Slow Cooker

How to Make Italian Sausage Chili

• Start by cooking the meat. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and Poultry Italian sausage and cook until no longer pink in the middle. 
• After the meat cooks, transfer it into the slow cooker. 
• Using the same skillet, cook the onions and peppers. When the onions become translucent, add the garlic and cook for another minute or until the garlic becomes fragrant. 
• Stir in the chili powder, coriander, oregano, garlic powder into the vegetables and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the spices become fragrant.
• Pour the chicken stock into the skillet and scrape up any bits that stick to the pan. 
• Transfer the vegetable mixture to the slow cooker.

• Stir in the tomato sauce.
• Stir the ingredients together, place the lid on, and cook for 5 hours on high or 8 – 10 hours on low.
• Taste for seasoning. I like to add salt and black pepper at the end. This helps make the rest of the flavors pop.
• Ladle into bowls and serve hot with your favorite chili condiments. I love shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, and even chopped onion.

Serving suggestions

You can serve this sausage chili with cornbread, corn chips (my favorite), tortilla chips, or a side salad.

Storage tips

The great thing about all chili recipes is that they store great in the refrigerator or freezer.

To store in the refrigerator.

After the chili cools, place it into airtight containers and refrigerate for up to five days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. 

To freeze.

After the sausage chili cools, place it into airtight containers and freeze for up to 6 months. Unless you know you will be feeding a crowd, then I recommend freezing into individual portions. It is so much easier to enjoy lunch or dinner without heating an entire batch.

I recommend using 1-cup silicone trays (like this Souper Cubes) to freeze chili into individual blocks that store nicely in the freezer. You can also keep the chili in other airtight containers or bags. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Other Healthy Chili Recipes

• Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
• Turkey Vegetable Chili
• Buffalo Chicken Chili