We have an adopted Grandma that we met when we lived in NJ. We adopted her and she adopted us. I can’t really remember how or when it happened, but it happened and we LOVE having a third Grandma. The Best Chili EVER recipe comes from her. Serve with Mom’s Corn Bread and you’re all set for dinner.
The best part about our third Grandma is she lives a lot closer than our other grandparents. So she comes to visit us every couple of months, and we occasionally invade her space with all six of us….yikes! She’s a good sport.
She is also an awesome cook! The last time we were at her house she made the absolute BEST CHILI I HAD EVER HAD IN MY LIFE! I begged her to tell me exactly how she made it and she ever so kindly did, so now I can share it with you.
More Recipes for Chili Lovers
- Favorite White Chicken Chili
- Award Winning Chili
- Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Chili Chicken Casserole
- Classic Taco Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
It’s a hearty, meaty chili and it has a nice kick to it. She used hot Italian sausage in hers for part of the meat, so it was extra hot. When I made it for my family, I used sweet Italian sausage so it wasn’t as hot. But even with the sweet sausage, this recipe has a nice amount of heat. My kids didn’t complain, but I think they would have if I would have used the hot sausage (Well, everyone but Thatcher…he likes heat).
HOW TO MAKE The Best Chili EVER
- In a large pot, saute the diced onion in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
- Add ground beef and sausages with casings removed.
- Cook until meat is cooked through.
- Add all other ingredients and allow chili to simmer for at least 30 minutes.
- Serve with corn bread or corn chips and cheese if desired.
I could gush for hours about how much I love this chili. It is truly the best chili I’ve ever had! There’s something a little interesting about it that I didn’t see coming….it is in part seasoned with a hot taco seasoning packet. WHAT??!!!
I would have never guessed it had a taco seasoning packet in it. Give this delish recipe a try and see if you don’t come away screaming that you have a new favorite chili recipe. I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE CHILI RECIPE!!!!!!!!
Tips for making The Best Chili EVER
- Make sure to remove the casings from the Italian sausage links.
- Use 2 cans of regular diced tomatoes instead of a large can of plum tomatoes.
- If you really like hot and spicy chili, use hot Italian sausage instead of sweet Italian sausage.
Delicious Recipes with Beans
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, approx. 2 tbsp crushed
- 1 lb ground beef
- 4 links sweet Italian Sausage, casings removed
- 1 (29 ounce) can of plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 (15 ounce) cans light kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (1.25 ounce) packet McCormick Hot Taco Seasoning Mix
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- In a large pot, saute the diced onion in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
- Add ground beef and sausages with casings removed.
- Cook until meat is cooked through.
- Add all other ingredients and allow chili to simmer for at least 30 minutes.
- Serve with corn bread or corn chips and cheese if desired.
Made this for my family, using the Hot Italian Sausage. Even my two boys who hate anything new, or with tomatoes loved it. They both had two helpings and asked for it again the following weekend. Yeah!
It’s delicious right! This makes me so happy. This is one of my recipes I LOVE and it gets hardly any views. People just don’t know what their missing. 🙂
I am making this tomorrow – just turned cold here and I want a new twist on comfort food. I’ll let you know how it was received
If using diced tomatoes how much should I use? Can’t wait to try tomorrow!
Delicious! I wasn’t expecting so much rich flavor from such a quick recipe with so few ingredients! Definitely making another batch to put in the freezer!
Woot! Woot! Yeah we love it too! Especially because it’s so easy! So glad you like it! Thanks Theresa!
I made this tonight! I was looking for a fast easy chili recipe because I’m exhausted and this was absolutely delicious! I used 5 hot italian sausages because mine came in a 5 pack.
Yay! So glad you found this recipe! It is one of my favorites!
I made this two weeks ago and it was really great. Very easy to prepare. Used the hot sausage and a little jalapeno. Let it simmer for a few hours and enjoyed it for several days. Thank you for posting this!
Yum! So glad you liked it! I’ll have to try adding some jalapeno next time. Thanks for coming back to let me know you tried it! 🙂
My favorite chili recipe! I do mine in the crockpot, I think it’s our new New Years Day tradition!
I am so glad you love the chili! I am going to try it in the slow cooker next time! Thank you for taking time to leave a comment!
I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for a long time and I finally did tonight. It was delicious! The Italian sausage really gives it a great flavor.
Awesome! So glad you liked it!
Any idea if this is gluten free?
Hi Barbara, If you use a gluten free taco packet it is.