Wicked Good Beef & Sausage Chili Soup
Is it chili (thick) or is it soup (thin)? It’s YOUR call. Have chili the first day and soup the second. Beans, no beans. Either way THIS Beef & Sausage Chili Soup, with its complex flavor pairing of beef, sausage, ancho and chipotle chili, onion, garlic, chocolate, espresso, beer, and tomato is a sure-fire winner, out-of-this-world delicious winner. Makes 4 quarts.
Equipment
- 6-7 quart soup pot
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound loose Italian sausage
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup Ancho Chipotle Chile Paste
- 2 medium-large yellow onions, skinned, trimmed, chopped
- 6 large garlic cloves, skinned, trimmed, minced
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 packet Starbuck’s VIA dark roast instant coffee
- 1 cup dark beer (or beef stock)
- 2 28-ounce cans fire-roasted, diced tomatoes or half crushed tomatoes, for a slightly thicker soup
- 1 each red, orange, and green bell pepper, stemmed, ribbed, chopped
- regular or smoked sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional
- 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans or 2 cups cooked barley (or one 15-ounce can cannellini beans and 1 cup cooked barley)
Toppings
- diced avocado
- diced red onion
- chopped cilantro
- sour cream
Instructions
- In a 6-7 quart soup pot, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and add ground beef and loose sausage. Sauté briskly, stirring as necessary with a wood spatula, to ensure meat is broken up and well browned. (Sausage requires more effort as its fat content acts like “glue” in holding the meat together.)
- When meat is well browned, stir in smoked paprika and prepared Ancho Chipotle Chile Paste.
- Move meat to one side of pan and add a little more olive oil to the open space.
- Add onions, and cook slowly, stirring nearly constantly (or cover with a tight-fitting lid), to soften. Add the garlic about halfway through the cooking process.
- When onions are softened, combine with meat mixture, and add cocoa powder, instant coffee, and dark beer (if using).
- Cook for several minutes to blend flavors and then add tomatoes and bell peppers.
- Simmer slowly for 5-10 minutes and then add cooked beans or cooked barley. Or a half portion of each.
- Taste the chile and add salt and pepper to taste.
To Serve
- Top each serving as desired with prepared avocado, red onion, cilantro, and sour cream.