Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Brown the ground beef: Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break it into small pieces. Cook until browned, then drain excess grease if needed.
- Cook the sausage: Add the breakfast sausage to the same pot. Break it apart and cook until browned and fully cooked.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add the diced onion and jalapeños. Cook until the onion softens. Stir in the minced garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
- Toast the tomato paste: Add the tomato paste and stir it through the meat and vegetables. Cook for about 1 minute to deepen its flavor.
- Build the chili base: Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and green chiles. Stir well and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Season the chili: Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne if using. Stir until evenly combined.
- Simmer gently: Reduce the heat to low and let the chili simmer gently, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Add the beans: Stir in the drained pinto beans after the chili has had time to develop its main flavor. Continue simmering until the beans are heated through.
- Thicken the chili: Leave the pot uncovered during the final part of cooking. Let excess moisture evaporate until the chili reaches a thick, spoonable consistency.
- Taste and adjust: Taste before serving and adjust salt or heat if necessary. Add a little more cayenne or hot sauce only if you want additional spice.
- Rest before serving: Turn off the heat and let the chili rest for about 10–15 minutes. This gives the texture time to settle before serving.
Notes
For a milder chili, use mild sausage and remove the seeds from the jalapeños. For a hotter version, keep the seeds and add cayenne gradually.
For a slow cooker version, brown the beef and sausage first, sauté the vegetables, then transfer everything except the beans to the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for about 6–7 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours, adding the beans toward the end.