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Warm your soul with this amazing 5-alarm chili. The hearty, spicy and meaty flavors of this dish are what a great chili is all about. The layers and depth of flavor will have you making this recipe again and again.
What could be better than a delicious, spicy, piping hot bowl of chili on a cold winter day? Nothing. Literally nothing. My 5-alarm chili is the perfect blend of flavor and heat. In the words of Mr. Kevin Malone, “It’s probably the thing I do best.” Let me know in the comments if you heart The Office as much as I do.
I am very particular about my chili dishes. So I took the development of this recipe very seriously. Chili is such a versatile dish. There are hundreds of different variations that you could make. I find this to be my family favorite.
What can I serve with my 5-Alarm Chili?
-Shredded cheese
-Avocado
-Diced fresh tomatoes
-Shredded lettuce
-Sour cream
-Salsa
-Tortillas
-Tostito Chips
-Sliced green onion
-Cilantro
-Saltines or oyster crackers
-Biscuits
–Quick and Easy 5-Minute 5-Ingredient Garlic Bread
–The World’s Easiest Spanish Rice with Salsa
What kind of ground beef should I use?
I always go with an 80% ground beef. It has the most flavor, as it has a larger fat content. However, if you wanted to keep things on the leaner side, then 85% or 93% would be perfectly fine.
What kind of kielbasa should I use?
Kielbasa is a matter of preference. Personally, I always use Hillshire Farms kielbasa. I use a chicken and pork blend. Any kielbasa would be delicious though and add a different depth of flavor. Beef, pork, turkey or smoked sausage would all make for a mouth-watering chili.
How long should I cook this chili for?
I prefer cooking this chili recipe over the stovetop. I’ve made it before in the crockpot and it somehow never comes out quite the same. I recommended cooking on a low simmer for about two hours. I would strongly suggest that you allow your chili to cook for a bare minimum of 45 minutes. You want to really give all of your ingredients a chance to develop in their flavor filled marriage .
What can I do with my leftover chili?
Leftovers are always delicious. I love repurposing my leftovers to be a new and exciting version of the meal that I cooked. I don’t have a whole lot of leftovers ever since these men and the little lady have very healthy appetites. However, this recipe makes a huge vat of 5-alarm chili allowing for some leftover options to experiment with.
Empanadas are a perfect way to use up leftover chili. This 5-alarm chili has all of the delicious flavors you want already packaged into one for you to use. Use it as a filling for some yummy empanadas. I love using pre-packaged pie crust to make mine. I use a medium sized round lid to trace circles in the rolled out crust with a paring knife. Then, I use about two heaping tablespoons of 5-alarm chili spread on half of the circle. Sprinkle with a little bit of your favorite shredded cheese, if you like. Fold over the other half of the circle and pinch the seams to seal. I press down along the edge of the seam with a fork for a little bit of design. Brush the top with an egg wash (Mix together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water). Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Quesadillas are such a quick way to transform your chili. Take a soft tortilla and lay down chili and shredded taco cheese on half. Fold over the other side. Brown in a large pan sprayed frying pan on both sides until golden brown (3-5 minutes). Make sure to pan spray the quesadilla directly when you are about to flip it to brown the other side. Cut into four triangles and serve with your favorite salsa or sour cream. You will have yourself a perfect and quick chili quesadilla lunch.
Nachos are one of my favorite things to eat. This chili heats up deliciously with some hot salsa, taco cheese and jarred pickled jalapeños. These ingredients topped over some Tostito chips will create the greatest 5-alarm chili nachos that you’ve ever had. Serve with a little sour cream and voila!
Step by Step Instruction
Heat a large pan sprayed frying pan over medium heat. Add ground beef, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon chili powder. Brown for 5 minutes. Then, add olive oil to the pan with kielbasa (cut into small cubes). Add the chopped green pepper, onion and garlic. Continue to cook and stir occasionally for 15 minutes.
While the meats and vegetables are frying, begin the chili. In a large pot over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder, dark red kidney beans, cannellini beans, meat sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth, worchestire sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano, dried parsley, sriracha and crushed red peppers. Make sure to drain and rinse all of the beans going into the pot and half of the diced tomatoes. Stir very well until fully combined.
Once the ground beef and kielbasa mixture is finished cooking, add it to the large pot of chili. Turn the heat down to low. Cover and allow to simmer for about 2 hours.
Let me know in the comments below what your favorite type of chili is? What did you serve with your 5-Alarm Chili? Did you do anything special with your leftovers? Enjoy!
Dominique Collins-Bloomfield
Warm your soul with this amazing 5-alarm chili. The hearty, spicy and meaty flavors of this dish are what a great chili is all about. The layers and depth of flavor will have you making this recipe again and again.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs
Course BBQ, Main Course, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine American, spanish, tex mex
Ingredients
- 1.5 Pounds ground beef
- 1 Teaspoon + 2 Tablespoons salt
- ½ Teaspoon + 1 Tablespoon black pepper
- 1 Teaspoon + 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 Teaspoon + 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ Cup olive oil
- 14 Ounces kielbasa
- 1 Green pepper chopped
- ½ Onion chopped
- 6 Cloves garlic
- 30 Ounces dark red kidney beans drain and rinse
- 30 Ounces cannellini beans drain and rinse
- 24 Ounces meat sauce (can or jar)
- 56 Ounces diced tomatoes drain and rinse half of the diced tomatoes
- 1½ Cups beef broth
- 3 Tablespoons worchestire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 Tablespoons sriracha
- 1 Teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
Heat a large pan sprayed frying pan over medium heat. Add ground beef, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon chili powder. Brown for 5 minutes. Then, add olive oil to the pan with kielbasa (cut into small cubes). Add the chopped green pepper, onion and garlic. Continue to cook and stir occasionally for 15 minutes.
While the meats and vegetables are frying, begin the chili. In a large pot over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder, dark red kidney beans, cannellini beans, meat sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth, worchestire sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano, dried parsley, sriracha and crushed red peppers. Make sure to drain and rinse all of the beans going into the pot and half of the diced tomatoes. Stir very well until fully combined.
Once the ground beef and kielbasa mixture is finished cooking, add it to the large pot of chili. Turn the heat down to low. Cover and allow to simmer for about 2 hours.
