Red Wine Turkey Sausage Chili

Red Wine Turkey Sausage Chili is incredibly flavorful and rich! This  deeply flavorful chili recipe is unique and unforgettable. 

Back in 2013, I went on a red wine chili kick. Adding wine to chili makes it seem fancy and elegant, yet this is one of the easiest and least time consuming chili recipes I have made.

You can make the whole lot from start to finish in around 45 minutes.

There is a beautiful marriage of flavor, and the best part? The quality ingredients do all of the hard work.

All we need is some ground turkey Italian sausage (or ground meat of choice), a full-bodied red wine, fresh vegetables, beans, and chili powder.

Let’s dive into the ingredients for red wine chili, because they all serve an important purpose.

Ingredients for Red Wine Chili:

Ground Turkey Italian Sausage: Much of the deliciousness in the recipe comes from using Italian sausage because it is already so packed with flavor!

I use Diestel ground turkey Italian sausage, which can be found at natural food stores. You can also stick with ground beef, regular ground turkey, or pork Italian sausage.

Red Wine: What is the best red wine to go with chili? A bold red wine like cabernet sauvignon or Malbec. Dry red wines are best for cooking because they are full of rich flavor with plenty of complexity.

Yellow Onion, Garlic, Carrots: These fresh vegetables bring bold, naturally sweet flavor to chili recipes. I recommend them always!

Canned Diced Tomatoes: Much of the liquid comes from canned diced tomatoes, which also imparts a little acidity. All great chili recipes are tomato-forward in my opinion!

Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, Sea Salt: The seasonings that make chili taste delicious! For spicy chili, add finely chopped jalapenos, serranos, or red pepper flakes.

Beans: Choose your favorite beans for chili. I like using black beans and kidney beans in this red wine chili recipe. Go with pinto beans or chili beans if you’d prefer.

Flour for Thickening: For thicker chili, add a little flour. I love super hearty chili with little liquid, so I add a couple tablespoons of gluten-free flour. Skip it if you don’t want to change the thickness.

Remember to also pick up your favorite toppings, such as avocado, sour cream, cheese, etc.

How to Make Red Wine Chili:

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
2. When the onions begin to sweat (after 3 to 5 minutes), add the carrot and garlic and continue to sauté until onion begins to turn golden brown, another 5 minutes or so.
3. Add the turkey Italian sausage and brown the meat for about 2 minutes. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, break the ground sausage into chunks.
4. Add all of the remaining ingredients, stir to combine and bring the mixture to a full boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the chili for 30 minutes. The chili should be meaty, thick and full of flavor! Add salt to taste.
6. Serve with your favorite chili toppers such as cheese, sour cream, green onion, and/or avocado.

Since you already have a bottle of red wine open, I recommend serving the chili with wine. The best wine to pair with chili is the wine you used to cook it!

Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Looking for more delicious chili recipes? Try out these gems.

More Chili Recipes:

• Whole30 Turkey Chili
• Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
• Roasted Pepper Elk Chili
• Southwestern Vegetarian Chili
• Barbecue Pulled Chicken Chili

Of course there is ample room for substitution, but this trifecta made an incredible meal.

Red Wine Chili Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Delicious, hearty turkey chili made with red wine is a rich and flavorful healthy chili recipe. If you've never tried red wine in chili, it is an absolute must!

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 Servings

Equipment

• large pot such as a Dutch oven

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 1 large carrot chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds ground Turkey Italian sausage such as Diestel*
• 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Petite Sirah
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 (14-oz) can black beans drained
• 1 (14-oz) can kidney beans
• 2 Tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour for thickening optional
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
• When the onions begin to sweat (after 3 to 5 minutes), add the carrot and garlic and continue to sauté until onion begins to turn brown, another 5 minutes or so.
• Add the turkey Italian sausage and brown the meat for about 2 minutes but do not cook it all the way through. Using a wooden spoon, break the ground sausage into chunks, leaving the chunks fairly large (about the size of a tablespoon) instead of breaking it up into tiny bits.
• Add all of the remaining ingredients, stir to combine and bring the mixture to a full boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the chili for 30 minutes. Make sure the sausage is coked all the way through.The chili should be meaty, thick and full of flavor! Add salt to taste.
• Serve with your favorite chili toppers such as cheese, sour cream, green onion, and/or avocado.

Notes

*You can also use Italian sausage links and simply cut the casing open to use the ground sausage on the inside.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving · Calories: 501kcal · Carbohydrates: 35g · Protein: 30g · Fat: 24g · Fiber: 10g · Sugar: 11g

Author: Julia

Course: Soups, Stews, & Chilies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: amazing chili recipe, chili with red wine, sausage chili, turkey chili, turkey sausage chili recipe

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