Description

Toe Chili is a spooky and flavorful chili recipe perfect for Halloween parties, featuring a hearty mix of ground beef, beef chorizo, Hatch chiles, and black chili beans, topped with creative little smokies sausages styled to look like toes. The sausages are broiled with onion nails to mimic toe nails and served on top of the rich, slow-simmered chili, adding a fun and festive twist to a classic comfort food.

Ingredients

Scale

Meat and Sausage

3 lbs. ground beef
2 tubes beef chorizo
1 package little smokies kielbasa (with added onion nails)

Vegetables and Aromatics

2 medium yellow onions
1½ cups Hatch Chiles, chopped
¾ cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
Green onions, for garnish

Liquids and Canned Goods

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
5 14 oz. cans Black Chili Beans

Spices and Seasonings

3 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. Epazote

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Instructions

Brown the Meats: In a large pot or skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef until fully cooked, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Drain the excess fat to reduce greasiness.
Add Chorizo and Vegetables: Add the beef chorizo, chopped onions, Hatch chiles, roasted red bell peppers, and minced garlic to the browned beef. Stir well to combine the flavors.
Mix in Tomatoes and Spices: Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and epazote, making sure all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Add Beans and Simmer: Add the black chili beans (including liquid from the cans) to the pot. Mix thoroughly and bring to a low simmer. Let the chili cook on low heat for at least one hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and to enhance flavor melding. Alternatively, transfer to a crockpot and cook on low for 5 hours for a slow-cooked depth of flavor.
Prepare the Sausage Toes: Slice a wedge out of each little smokies kielbasa to create a nail bed for the onion nails. Cut yellow onions into thin, rectangular slices to resemble toenails.
Insert Onion Nails: Insert onion pieces into the cut wedge of each sausage to simulate nails. For longer onion pieces, push them into the cut part of the sausage to ensure they stay in place.
Create Toe Creases: Make shallow vertical slices into each sausage with a paring knife to mimic the natural creases of toes.
Broil the Sausage Toes: Place the prepared sausage toes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and broil under high heat for about 2 minutes, just enough to heat the sausages, separate the creases, and lightly cook the onions. Some onions may fall off during cooking — simply reposition them afterward.
Top and Serve: About 10 minutes before serving, add the sausage toes on top of the chili to warm through before serving. Garnish with chopped green onions and enjoy the spooky, delicious chili!

Notes

This spooky recipe adds a fun Halloween twist by creating mini hotdog toes with onion nails to top your chili.
Simmering the chili slowly enhances the depth of flavors, but you can use a crockpot for convenience.
If Hatch chiles are unavailable, substitute with mild green chiles or jalapeños for heat.
Make sure to broil the sausage toes briefly to retain their shape and keep the onions slightly crisp.
Green onions add a fresh garnish and a slight crunch to complement the hearty chili.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 370
Sugar: 6g
Sodium: 720mg
Fat: 22g
Saturated Fat: 9g
Unsaturated Fat: 11g
Trans Fat: 0.3g
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fiber: 6g
Protein: 28g
Cholesterol: 80mg