Spicy Five Bean Chili with Steak Sausage

Tender steak, spicy sausage, five different varieties of beans, tomatoes, and green chiles come together to make this irresistible Steak Chili that’s a family favorite all winter long.

Start chili in the morning and simmer slowly throughout the day for a dinner that will make everyone smile. Is there anything better to smell in the fall than a pot of spicy chili simmering on the stove?

A long time ago, probably over 15 years ago, my friend Shannon brought a big pot of chili to a party and the chili was absolutely perfect. I’ve been making chili for years and my chili has never been bad, but it’s also never been amazing.

I ate two large portions of her chili and then pestered her for the recipe. Luckily for all of us, she was kind enough to send it to me. I can’t believe that our chili recipes are almost identical except for one ingredient.

Chili with Ranch Beans

What about that one ingredient? It makes the difference between an “ok” chili recipe and an amazing chili. The ingredients are ranch style beans!

This chili makes me happy. I smile when I smell it throughout the house and I look forward to dinner all day long. Whether I make it on the stove or in the slow cooker, the flavor of chili brings so much joy and comfort to my day.

Tender steak, spicy sausage, five different varieties of beans, tomatoes and peppers combine to create a delicious chili. Don’t be fooled by the long list of ingredients! This is a very simple recipe that doesn’t take long to make in the morning.

Whenever possible, I like to keep it simmering for most of the day. Simmering for a few hours helps all the flavors of the steak, sausage, and peppers blend together. I could never resist eating a bowl of this chili for lunch if I started early.

5 bean chili

This steak chili recipe is similar to many other chili recipes I’ve tried, except for one ingredient. Ranch-style beans have a distinctive flavor. Thrown together with all the other beans, there’s just something magical about them. I’m not lying to you.

15 years ago I had never bought a can of beans like this. What now? I keep about a dozen jars on hand at all times. Ranch-style chili beans are full of delicious spices and pair well with the sausage and steak in this recipe.

Steak Chili

I made a chili and had it with steak. Sometimes I use chicken, usually we use ground beef or sausage, and we even often make vegetarian chili.

Chili with steak has a unique flavor and texture that you don’t get with chili with other meats. I also love cooking and crumbling pepperoni in this recipe, the added flavor and texture is perfect for steak.

Serve this chili with baked potatoes, macaroni or rice, or with thick slices of cornbread. Delicious with cheese, sour cream, cornbread croutons, or on its own.

Steak Chili Recipe

This recipe starts by cooking the steak. It doesn’t matter how you cook your steak. You can grill, broil or cook your steak on the stove and the results will be great. I like to season the steak with salt, pepper, and garlic on each side while it’s cooking.

If I don’t have leftover steak on hand, I usually just sear the steak in a large stockpot before cooking and crumbling the sausage.

When both meats are cooked, simply add them to the pot along with all the beans, tomatoes, green chiles, onions, bell peppers, and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Simmer all day or at least 4-6 hours (technically mine didn’t come to a full simmer, but kept it close over low heat). Stir it every hour or two, be careful to stir the bottom of the pot, and try to resist the urge to eat throughout the day. Topped with cheese and sour cream, it’s the perfect fall meal.

In my experience, cooking this chili over low heat for a long time produces the best flavor. So even though you may be tempted to go deeper after a few hours, try to resist. The longer you cook it on the stove or in a pot, the better.

Crockpot Directions: First – cut the recipe in half, the full recipe doesn’t fit any crockpot I’ve seen. Cook the meat, then add all ingredients to the slow cooker, stir, and simmer all day.

A slow cooker or slow cooker is an appliance that I have more than one. If you’re an avid slow cooker user like me, you probably understand the need for more than one. So, let’s talk about my favorites:

First up is this 6-quart slow cooker with a locking lid. These clay pots are great for transporting food. My experiences have been all over the place, from church potlucks to barbecues, game nights to Thanksgiving dinners. Fair warning, however, these slow cookers run very hot. Low heat is closer to a boil than a low heat and is actually a simmer in a warm environment. So trust me when I say “high” means “high.”

My everyday slow cooker is this 8-quart Crockpot. This is my go-to device for cooking large roasts and large batches of chili. Fun fact: Did you know that a full 4-quart cooker actually cooks slower than a half-full 8-quart cooker?

This 3-quart version is perfect if you’re just shredding a few pounds of chicken for enchiladas or other smaller recipes.

Thanksgiving has been a breeze since I figured out how to serve all the side dishes in these medium round slow cookers.

If you don’t like having multiple slow cookers around your home, these CrockPockets are a game-changer, allowing you to prep and serve multiple dishes at the same time. They slide into a standard 6-quart clay pot, dividing it into two parts, perfect for serving different side dishes or keeping taco fillings warm for a party.

Beef Sausage Chili

If you couldn’t tell at first glance, this is a huge recipe. It provides enough left over for my whole family. This makes it a great meal for parties and large family gatherings.

I usually make a whole batch and freeze it in large and small containers for family meals and personal lunches. No one regrets having extra chili in the refrigerator!

Spicy Five Bean Steak Chili is even better the next day, so I often make it ahead of time and heat it up the day I want to serve it. It heats up perfectly on the stovetop or in the microwave.

This recipe can easily be reduced to use less chili, but I like to keep it in the refrigerator as much as possible so I rarely make smaller batches. I figured if I was going to have it cooking for most of the day, I might as well use it for a few meals.

How to Freeze Chili Peppers

Let the soup cool completely before transferring it to a freezable container. The soup can be reheated in the microwave or defrosted and then reheated on the stovetop.

For some more delicious chili recipes, try Hearty Chili Chili . Bell peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime add fresh flavor to this chili. It’s filled with sausage, beans and plenty of vegetables.

White Chicken Chili is a creamy soup filled with tender chicken chunks, soft white beans, green chiles, and lots of spices. Definitely more soup than chili, this has been one of our favorite rainy day meals for a few years now.

This vegetarian chili was inspired by an impromptu trip to our cabin and an unexpected craving for chili. I threw it together using only ingredients I had in my cupboard and it turned out delicious. So good, I wrote it down so I can share it with you later.

{Originally published October 18, 2011 – Recipe instructions updated November 27, 2024}