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–+ servings
A close-up of a pot filled with sausage chili—meatballs, kidney beans, chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, and a rich red tomato-based sauce—with a serving spoon inside.

Mushroom Sausage Chili Recipe

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
This sausage chili is loaded with chunks of Italian sausage, ground beef, and sauteed mushrooms. It's a hearty and meaty chili recipe that is sure to please. We usually make this a beanless chili, but you can put some in if your family loves them. It's great both ways.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
  • 2 lb crimini mushrooms, quartered
  • 2 lb Italian sausage, removed from casings
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 red bell peppers, minced
  • 4 stalks celery, minced
  • 5.5 ounce can of tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 28-ounce crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 1 15-ounce can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed - see notes

Chili Toppings

  • Cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, tortilla chips, green onions, or corn

Instructions 

  • Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the mushrooms and cook until they brown. Remove the cooked mushrooms from the pan, then repeat with one more tablespoon of oil and the remaining mushrooms. Remove them from the pan once cooked.
    2 lb crimini mushrooms
    Sliced and cooked mushrooms in a black cast iron skillet on a white marble surface, perfect for adding to your favorite sausage chili.
  • Break the sausage meat into chunks, rolling into balls if it is falling apart. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan and add the sausage pieces. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until they start to brown and are cooked enough that they hold together like mini meatballs.
    2 lb Italian sausage
    A cast iron skillet filled with cooked meatballs and savory sausage chili sits on a white marble surface.
  • While the mushrooms and sausage are cooking, add a tablespoon of oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ground beef to the pot and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add the bell peppers and celery and cook for 5 minutes.
    1 large onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 lb ground beef, 2 red bell peppers, 4 stalks celery
    A black pot filled with hearty sausage chili, cooked ground meat, diced red and green bell peppers, and onions sits on a white marble surface.
  • Push the meat and veggies to the side of the pot and add the tomato paste to the middle. Let it cook for 3 minutes, or until it begins to smell sweet.
    5.5 ounce can of tomato paste
    A black pot on a white surface contains cooked ground meat and diced vegetables, ready to be transformed into hearty sausage chili, with a mound of tomato paste on the side.
  • Add the chili powder, honey, cumin, salt, tomatoes, beans, and cooked mushrooms and sausage to the pot, stirring to combine. Bring the pot to a simmer, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
    3 tablespoons chili powder, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 28-ounce crushed or diced tomatoes, 1 15-ounce can of kidney beans
    A black pot filled with hearty sausage chili and vegetable stew in a tomato-based sauce, seen from above on a white marble surface.
  • Serve this chili with any or all of the toppings.
    Cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, tortilla chips, green onions, or corn
    A bowl of sausage chili topped with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, fresh herbs, and a dollop of sour cream sits next to a gray napkin.

Notes

ingredients needed to make this recipe
If you'd prefer not to have chunks of sausage, add the sausage meat to the pot with the ground beef and crumble it as it cooks. You'll have all the flavor this way, but without the chunks of meat.
To save on dishes, you can cook the mushrooms and sausage in the chili pot first, before cooking the onion and ground beef. It will take longer this way, but you'll have fewer dishes to wash. 
Beans are a new ingredient in this recipe. Feel free to omit them for a beanless chili or add more if you love a bean-heavy chili. 
Serving: 2 cups, Calories: 604kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 45g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 21g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 121mg, Sodium: 1677mg, Potassium: 1408mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 2215IU, Vitamin C: 47mg, Calcium: 85mg, Iron: 5mg