beef chili [whole30]
I promise we’re going back to regularly-scheduled programming here at the blog soon. I’m sure those of you not doing this Whole30 business are getting sick of hearing about it (I’m sick of hearing myself talk about it. Heck, I’m even sick of thinking about it!).
But.
You should put that aside and make this chili. I really like beans (insert your best jokes…Jasper will happily supply you some if necessary), so whenever I’ve seen a recipe for chili without beans (as are most “Texas chili” recipes), I either add the beans anyway or just skip over that recipe. But the Whole30 has broadened my horizons a bit – I wanted chili this week, but I couldn’t put any beans in it because of this little experiment I’ve subjected myself to. So I made chili without any beans – and it was delicious! Grant and the kids loved it too. I’m not swearing off of my regular recipe or anything, but we will definitely be adding this version into the repertoire.
![beef chili [whole30]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sarabytheseason.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/beefchili_sarabytheseason.jpg?w=960 "beef chili [whole30]")
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp fat of your choice (I used lard because lard)
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 1 sweet pepper, diced*
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste
- 2 14.5 cans fire-roasted, chopped or crushed tomatoes (I prefer one of each)
- 2 cups stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, melt the lard/fat of your choice over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions and peppers and cook until the onions soften up (about 5 minutes).
- Add the garlic and ground beef. Continue cooking and stirring until the beef is nearly all browned.
- Add the spices, cocoa, and tomato paste, and cook for about a minute more.
- Add the tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer for at least an hour, longer if you can, until the liquid reduces. It tastes even better the next day, like most chili.
- Optional garnishes: green onions, guacamole (cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips if you're not doing Whole30).
Notes
Adapted from The Clothes Make the Girl
*I used my frozen sweet pepper stash, but if I didn't have any frozen, I would have just left out the sweet peppers (unless I was making this in the summer when I have fresh sweet peppers in the garden). The peppers definitely aren't necessary.
Other uses: We love this as a topping for baked potatoes, and I imagine it would be delicious on burgers or nachos too.
Crock pot: you could easily make this in the crock pot. Just do steps 1-3 above on the stove top, then dump the pan and the remaining ingredients into the crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
