My Best Kid-Friendly Chili

The husband and I love chili, and love it spicy! But cooking for 3 little children requires me to tone it down for their taste buds. We like to add a few dashes of Sriracha® or fresh chopped jalapeno and onion to make up for the missing heat. The kids are partial to goldfish crackers on top! But as with any chili, feel free to top it with your favorites. If you are lucky enough to live near an Italian market, the salsiccia is best in our opinion. If not, then you can sub another kind of ground Italian sausage. It may be light on spice, but full of flavor!

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 35 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 354 Calories

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 1 green bell pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup chili powder
• 1 (7 ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 cup water, or as needed
• ¼ cup ground cumin
• 1 pound ground beef sirloin
• 1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 pound ground salsiccia sausage
• 2 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, undrained

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Step 2

Place green bell pepper on the prepared baking sheet.

Step 3

Broil bell pepper in the oven, turning every 5 minutes, until skin is blackened and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Transfer roasted pepper to a resealable plastic bag; seal and set aside.

Step 4

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef and ground sausage in the hot Dutch oven until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease. Transfer ground meat to a bowl.

Step 5

Heat olive oil in the same Dutch oven over medium-low heat; cook and stir onions and garlic in the hot oil until onions are translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 6

Carefully remove roasted pepper from the plastic bag and peel off the blackened layer; chop the pepper. Add chopped bell pepper, ground meat mixture, chili beans, coffee, green chiles, cocoa powder, cumin, and chili powder to the onion mixture; stir well. Simmer, stirring frequently, until warmed, about 5 minutes.

Step 7

Stir crushed tomatoes and water into chili; season with salt. Bring to boil. Cover Dutch oven, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors have blended, at least 30 minutes. Remove cover and simmer until chili is thickened, about 30 more minutes.