Hearty Chili to Combat the January Blues

I’m not surprised that two different people asked this week for our favorite chili recipe (and that we made a big pot of it on Sunday). ‘Tis the season when the nights seem colder and darker without the warm glow of a Christmas tree.

There’s no better cure for the January blues than with a hearty chili — made even better when served in a homemade sourdough bread bowl. (Stay tuned for Nick’s best bread bowl recipe yet.)

Nick is of the meaty chili camp, while I prefer mine to be packed with veggies. The following recipe is our compromise. It has turkey and sausage for Nick and mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini for me. It’s very versatile, so choose your favorite ingredients, just don’t skimp on the cumin and chili powder.

How do you like your chili?

Hearty Chili

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
  • 1 package mushrooms
  • 4 carrots, shredded
  • 1 zucchini, shredded
  • 2 cans beans, drained (we like dark and light kidney beans)
  • 1 large can diced tomatoes
  • 1 large can tomato sauce
  • 2 cups beef broth (more if the chili is too thick)
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 2 Tbsp chili powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • toppings: cheddar cheese, green onions, sour cream

Directions

  1. In a large pot, crumble and cook turkey and sausage. Remove from heat and set on paper towel-lined plate.
  2. Add olive oil to meat drippings. Sauté onion, garlic, peppers, and mushrooms for about 5 minutes.
  3. Add meat back to pot, along with carrots, zucchini, drained beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, and spices. Simmer over low heat for about an hour.
  4. Top with cheese, chopped green onions, and sour cream. Serve in a bread bowl or with bread for dipping.

5 thoughts on “Hearty Chili to Combat the January Blues

  1. You two sound like us…I love my veggies but I’m married to Mr. Protein! This is a perfect collaboration of the two schools of thought 😉 Lots of snow in our forecast this week = Culinary Couple’s chili!!

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