This Mexican Black Bean and Sausage Chili has its own homemade (easy) sausage tucked inside of it.
Chili is wonderful for a blustery cold day. It’s also good for Game Day. And it’s pretty nice to have on hand for multiple lunches during the week too. This Mexican Black Bean and Sausage Chili is incredibly filling, so I consider that a “win” for not needing a lot of food to fill you up!And, if you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Mexican Black Bean and Sausage Chili:
The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
The first step is making the homemade sausage. You can use “pre-made” sausage if you want for this recipe, but it’s so much better to make it homemade. Combine all of the sausage ingredients in a bowl. Mix them together. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the sausage mixture overnight. This will help the flavors really come to life.
The next day, heat the oil in a pan. Cook the sausage mixture until done.
Place 1 1/2 cups black beans and 1 cup of chicken broth in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. This is a mixture that will help give your chili a nice, hearty texture.
To the cooked sausage, add onion and spices and cook until the onion is tender. Then add in the puréed beans, more black beans, broth and canned diced tomatoes. Simmer for 45 minutes. Then stir in lime juice and finely chopped fresh cilantro.
Ladle the chili into bowls for serving.
Garnish this Mexican Black Bean and Sausage Chili with your favorite chili toppings. We like sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onion. Enjoy!
Here are a few more chili recipes you might like to try:
- Ina Garten’s Chicken Chili
- Beef and Dark Beer Chili
- Butternut Squash Hatch Green Chili
- Three Bean and Beef Chili
- Vegetarian Chili
Mexican Black Bean and Sausage Chili
Recipe Details
Ingredients
SAUSAGE:
- 8 ounces 96% lean ground pork
- 8 ounces 99% lean ground turkey
- 3 tablespoons dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
- 1½ tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- dash of kosher salt
CHILI:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups (about 2 medium) diced onion
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 whole chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced (add more, if you like it spicy)
- Four 15-ounce cans black beans (rinsed, drained and divided)
- 2 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth, divided
- Two 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes (do not drain)
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup very finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Instructions
PREPARE THE SAUSAGE:
- Combine all of the sausage ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
PREPARE THE CHILI:
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage mixture; cook 7 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.
- Add the onion, cumin, garlic, oregano, and chiles; cook 4 minutes or until the onion is tender.
- Place 1½ cups black beans and 1 cup broth in a food processor; process until smooth. Add the pureed beans, remaining beans, remaining 1 cup broth and tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese and chopped green onions, if desired.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as GLUTEN-FREE, just be sure to use brands of chipotles, beans and chicken broth that are known to be GF.
- Of course, you can always cheat a bit and purchase pre-made ground sausage, but this sausage is so full of flavor we don't recommend it!
- Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are found canned in your markets Latin food section. Chop up ONE of these chiles to put in this chili. They are spicy... so if you add more, be careful!
- You may need to thin the chili with water if you've made it ahead.
