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Bright colors and fresh flavors from peppers combine for a bowl full of bell pepper chili coziness easily made in your slow cooker.
Bell Pepper Chili
It amazes me all the variations you can create of chili. It never gets boring to me because you can change it up so easily with ingredients you have on hand.
I had too many bell peppers in my refrigerator and was wanting to use them up before they spoiled but all the usual recipes just weren’t sounding good. One of my boys asked for chili and it occurred to me to change up from my usual corn chili and use the bell peppers. Come to think of it I could have made Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers too!
I am big on letting the chili simmer on the stove top for the most flavor. However, I had a busy day ahead so I went ahead and used the crockpot so it didn’t need to be watched as closely. Both options are included in the instructions.
When using the crock pot I am always mindful of how different ingredients will hold up to the extended cooking time. I never want to end up with a pot of flavorless mush. You will notice the chopped bell peppers get added for the last hour.
This is exactly why. They won’t become mush this way. They will hold their pepper shape yet add a nice flavor to the chili. Remember they are a more mild sometimes sweet pepper so you won’t get a lot of heat from this recipe.
I made this again recently for a soup bar gathering with friends and it tasted amazing all evening long when kept on low. Topped with cheese and served with tortilla chips, I brought home an empty pot.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here is your shopping list for a pot of hearty bell pepper chili:
- hot sausage
- onion
- ranch-style pinto beans or chili beans
- black beans
- tomato sauce
- diced tomatoes
- taco seasoning
- bell peppers
- fresh cilantro
- limes
How to Make This Chili
- Cook and crumble the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the skillet when the meat begins to brown.
- While the meat is cooking, combine the ranch beans, black beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and taco seasoning in a large crock-pot. Add the beef and onions. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 4-8 hours.
- About an hour before you plan to serve this, add the bell peppers. Cook on LOW for 1 hour and then add the cilantro and lime. This will hold on the WARM setting for an additional 1-3 hours without any issues.
Soups and Chilis
Cooler weather always brings soups and chilis back to the top of the regular meals we eat. The full-body warmth you get from smelling and enjoying a hot bowl of soup is hard to describe.
Vegetable soup with chicken and potatoes is a bowl full of goodness you will savor. And if we are having soup or chili, savory waffles or biscuits are a must to go with it.
Yes, you can adapt this for the stove as well. Cook and crumble the sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat. Then add the onions, beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, and Mexican spices. Bring to a simmer until the peppers are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.
I typically use red, orange, and yellow bell peppers for this recipe, however any variety of bell pepper will work nicely.
Bell Pepper Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound hot sausage
- 1 medium onion chopped into ½-inch pieces, about 1 cup
- 28 ounces canned ranch-style pinto beans or chili beans do not drain
- 14 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 14 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 30 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup taco seasoning homemade or store-bought
- 3 large bell peppers chopped into ½-inch pieces, about 4 cups
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped small
- 2 medium limes about 2-4 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, adjust to taste
Optional Toppings
- sour cream
- shredded cheese
- corn chips
- green onions sliced thin
- fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Cook and crumble the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the skillet when the meat begins to brown.
- While the meat is cooking, combine the ranch beans, black beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and taco seasoning in a large crock-pot. Add the beef and onions. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 4-8 hours.
- About an hour before you plan to serve this, add the bell peppers. Cook on LOW for 1 hour and then add the cilantro and lime. This will hold on the WARM setting for an additional 1-3 hours without any issues.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
