Italian Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef (I used 90/10)
• 1 lb turkey Italian sausage, removed from casings
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried cumin
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 15oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 10oz and 1 8oz cans of tomato sauce
• 2 15oz cans of chili beans with sauce
• 1 15oz can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

Side Note: Use a potato masher to break up the ground beef and Italian sausage quickly and easily into crumbles.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ground beef and the turkey Italian sausage, removed from casings, into the Dutch oven. Use a potato masher to break up the meat into crumbles. Add the chili powder, dried basil, oregano, cumin, crushed red pepper, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; cook stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the meat crumbles; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili beans with sauce, and drained kidney beans. Cover with a lid then lower the heat to low simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 hours. Taste the chili and re-season if desired.
Ladle into bowls then top with shredded Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Enjoy.