Sweet and Spicy Italian Jack Chili

Hot and sweet Italian sausages are combined with white beans, green chile and plenty of spices to created a thick and hearty, sweet and spicy chili. A shot of whiskey adds an unexpected underlying flavor as well. The whiskey is completely optional, but we really liked the result. My whole family enjoyed this chili for dinner a couple of weeks ago and we've already eaten the extra from the freezer as well!

I'm posting the recipe now for those of you that might still have a chill in the air. It's hard to believe that some parts of the country are still seeing snow this time of year. I'm guessing this will be our last pot of chili for a while, because our temps managed to hit triple digits last night. I'm craving salads like crazy now and we are already running the a/c!

Sweet and Spicy Italian Jack Chili

Yield: 20 (8 ounce) servings

1 lb sweet Italian sausage

1 lb hot Italian sausage

2 lbs great northern beans (soaked overnight in 2-3x as much water)

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

1 medium red bell pepper, diced small

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 29 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

6 cups chicken stock

¾ cup frozen green chile (canned chiles are fine as well)

3 ounces Jack Daniel’s whiskey

1 ½ teaspoons red chile powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Optional: sour cream, Pepperjack cheese and green onions for topping

De-case, cook and crumble the sausage in the bottom of a large stock pot over medium high heat. Once the sausage is mostly browned and crumbled, add in the garlic, onion and bell pepper along with all of the spices. Saute the vegetables with the sausage for about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring to combine. 

Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until the beans are tender, about 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Add 1-2 cups water, if needed, to cover the beans as they cook. Garnish with pepper jack cheese, sour cream and green onions before serving. Enjoy!

FREEZER MEAL: Let the soup cool completely before transferring to freezer safe containers. Soup can be heated in the microwave or it can be thawed first and then reheated on the stove-top.

Source : http://www.barefeetinthekitchen.com/2013/05/sweet-and-spicy-italian-jack-chili-recipe.html

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