Chilly fall evenings call for a hearty bowl of comfort food. This white bean chili is easy to make on the stovetop in less than an hour or in the slow cooker on busy days. The standard recipe has some kick but can be easily modified for a gentler version.
White Bean and Sausage Chili
Ingredients
+ 2 pounds hot pork sausage
+ 1 medium onion, diced
+ 2 cloves garlic, minced
+ 2 cans (15.5 ounces) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
+ 1 quart chicken broth
+ 2 cans (4 ounces) green chilies, diced
+ 1 red bell pepper
+ 1 yellow bell pepper
+ 15 ounces corn
+ 1 teaspoon salt
+ 1/2 teaspoon cumin
+ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
+ 1/2 teaspoon pepper
+ A generous pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
+ 1 cup sour cream
+ 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
1. In a large Dutch oven, brown the pork with the onion and garlic. Drain fat.
2. Add the beans, chicken broth, bell peppers, green chilies and seasonings to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
3. Whisk sour cream and heavy cream until smooth. Stir in cream mixture. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed, before serving.
For a milder chili, replace one or both pounds of hot sausage with mild sausage, swap the yellow onion for a sweet onion and reduce or eliminate the cayenne.
To prepare in a slow cooker, follow step 1. Then combine the sausage mixture, all vegetables, broth and seasonings, and slow cook on low for 6-8 hours. One hour before serving, add the beans. When ready to serve, turn off the heat and blend in the and cream mixture from step 3.