Kielbasa Beef Chili

Football is back! I don’t know if that means much in your house, but in my family… this is it’s own holiday!

We love cozy Sundays watching all the games, eating all the delicious things, and wearing sweats and our jerseys. I made this kielbasa based chili this weekend for opening weekend, and it was so good. The kielbasa adds such deep flavor, and of course the toppings are really what kick it up a notch. Use whatever you want for toppings, but for mine I used corn nuts (throwback! Trader Joe’s had giant corn nuts on sale and I couldn’t pass them up. So crunchy and yummy!), cilantro, scallions, sharp cheddar cheese, and sour cream. Enjoy this cozy elevated Fall favorite! It can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove, whichever you prefer.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 T olive oil
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 12-oz kielbasa link, cut into rounds then diced in half
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 T chili powder
- 1 T cumin
- 1 T paprika
- 1/2 fresh jalapeno with seeds, finely minced
- 1 T Worcestershire sauce
- 1 T brown sugar
- 1.5 c beef broth
- salt and pepper
- 1 14-oz can tomato sauce
- 3 cans of beans, drained. For my version, I used one can of cannellini beans, and two cans of kidney beans
- 1/2 - 2/3 cup sour cream

Toppings of your choice:
Some ideas: cilantro, scallions, cheese, sour cream, salsa, bacon, tortilla chips, corn nuts, corn bread crumbles… Yum. I’m salivating!

DIRECTIONS:
I made my chili in the Instant Pot, but you can easily adapt to make in a dutch oven or large stock pot, or slow cooker. Totally up to you!
1.) Add olive oil, diced onion, garlic, and cumin to the bottom of your pan over medium heat (or sauté mode on IP).
Sauté until onions are tender and cumin is nice and fragrant.
2.) Add diced kielbasa, ground beef and bell peppers. Stir frequently until beef is cooked through and kielbasa is browned. Drain fat.
3.) Add all additional ingredients, and stir to combine.
4.) If using Instant Pot, add lid and hit “cancel" to change settings. Cook on manual for 25 minutes, then natural release for 5-10 minutes.
If using dutch oven or stock pot, add your lid and cook on low for at least an hour, preferably an hour and a half. Check and stir every 15 minute or so to prevent anything from burning or sticking to the base of your pot.
5.) Taste-check and add additional salt and pepper if necessary. Top with your favorite toppings! I suggest cheese, cilantro and sour cream at a minimum. Enjoy!