It’s currently chili season and as we all know, it’s forever pizza season and so with that being said I think this Pizza Chili is the best thing that has come our way in a very long time. It’s the best of both worlds coming together to create one delicious dish you won’t be able to stop making. Trust me, I haven’t stopped. Chili that tastes just like pizza is like comfort food in a bowl, and speaking of bowls, if you serve it in savory garlic bread bowls you’ll win the dinner game. It’s been very cold here in Los Angeles, which can only mean that it’s definitely cold everywhere else and nothing warms you up quite like a big bowl of chili can and so this recipe is the way to go. Don’t like bread bowls? Serve over pasta and call it an Italian feast.
This chili has a mixture of ground beef and sausage because I want it to taste like a meat-lovers pizza! Set a large dutch oven over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add the sausage and break up with a wooden spoon. Cook until brown and crispy, about 5 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage onto a plate and set aside.
**Note: I’m using a Hot Italian sausage for this because I like the kick, but if you’re not a fan of heat, you can use either mild or sweet Italian sausage!**
Add the ground sirloin to the pot and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until crispy and brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
**Note: Because the sausage and the pepperoni are fatty enough as it is, I like to use a ground sirloin for this. You want to keep it at a 90 to 10 ratio or even a 80 to 20 would be okay. You don’t want the chili to be too greasy.**
Return the sausage to the pot with the beef and add in the onion, bell pepper, and half of the minced garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened.
Season with the Italian seasoning, half of the dried parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Again, if you are not a fan of heat, you can omit the crushed red pepper flakes if you’d like. A small pinch, however, won’t make it spicy at all. It’ll just give it a nice little flavor boost.
Stir in the sliced pepperoni, beans, pizza sauce, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, lower the flame and cook until thickened, about 1 hour. Make sure to stir every now and then so that the chili doesn’t stick and burn.
Meanwhile, in a small pot, combine the remaining oil, garlic, parsley and butter. Cook over very low heat to infuse the oil and soften the garlic slightly. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the tops off the bread bowls, and scoop out most of the filling.
**Tip: Don’t throw away the bread filling you scoop out! You can dry it out in a baking sheet in a low oven and then pulse in a food processor to make homemade bread crumbs for a later use!**
Place the bread bowls on a baking sheet and brush the insides and the tops withs the garlic butter. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven until golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Of course, if you don’t want to serve the chili in bread bowls, you can omit these steps and just serve in regular bowls!
Give the chili a taste and adjust seasoning accordingly, adding more salt or pepper as needed. I find that it won’t need much salt added because of the sausage, pepperoni, and store-bought tomato products. Those are all plenty salty as it is!
To serve, ladle the chili into the crispy garlic bread bowls and top with shredded mozzarella and fresh basil leaves. Again, we want to mimic pizza flavors as much as possible!
**Tip: If you really want to add even more loaded pizza flavor, you can also stir in a small can of drained sliced black olives and some sliced mushrooms to the chili. That would be great in here as well!**
If you’re looking to save some time, you can totally make this in a slow cooker! Just brown the beef and sausage in a pot and add it to your slow cooker. Then just stir in all of the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese and basil). Place a lid on it and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4.
If you’re a pizza fan and a chili fan then you’ll love this Pizza Chili recipe! It is right up your alley. It’s the ultimate winter comfort food and I can’t recommend it enough. Give it a try and let me know what you think below. Also, did I mention that it freezes well? You can’t beat that.
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley, divided
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 6 ounces sliced pepperoni
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can white beans, drained
- 1 (14-ounce) jar pizza sauce
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15-ounce) can Italian stewed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 4 small sourdough bread rounds
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- Set a large dutch oven over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add the sausage and break up with a wooden spoon. Cook until brown and crispy, about 5 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage onto a plate and set aside. Add the ground beef to the pot and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until crispy and brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Return the sausage to the pot and add in the onion, bell pepper, and half of the minced garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened. Season with Italian seasoning, half of the parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir in the pepperoni, beans, pizza sauce, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, lower the flame and cook until thickened, about 1 hour. Make sure to stir every now and then so that the chili doesn't stick and burn.
- Meanwhile, in a small pot, combine the remaining oil, garlic, parsley and butter. Cook over very low heat to infuse the oil and soften the garlic slightly. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the tops off the bread bowls, and scoop out most of the filling. Save for bread crumbs for a later user. Place the bread bowls on a baking sheet and brush the insides and the tops withs the garlic butter. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven until golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Give the chili a taste and adjust seasoning accordingly, adding more salt or pepper as needed. To serve, ladle the chili in the bread bowls and top with mozzarella and fresh basil. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Please update the recipe. No where does it say anything about the Pepperoni. Like how much pepperoni in the ingredients list and when it gets cooks in the instructions. Thanks.
Thank you so much for letting me know. I’ve fixed it now!