Keto chili (no beans)
75 min · 38 g protein · 315 cals / serving
A thick, deeply spiced beef chili with no beans, simmered until it is rich and spoonable. Finely chopped mushrooms melt into the sauce and give it the body beans usually would, while chili powder, cumin and fried tomato paste give it its dark, smoky flavor. Topped with cheddar, a spoon of sour cream and green onion.
Ingredients
- 12 oz mushrooms, very finely chopped
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp paprika, smoked if you have it
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 tsp salt
To serve
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 tbsp light sour cream
- 2 green onions, sliced
Steps
- Brown the beef in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, breaking it up, then leaving it untouched for a couple of minutes at a time so it gets a dark crust, 8–10 minutes in all, until no pink remains (160°F).
- Add the mushrooms, onion and pepper and cook, stirring, 8–10 minutes, until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and it has cooked away.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes, until the paste darkens and the spices smell toasted.
- Add the tomatoes, broth and salt, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, 40–50 minutes, until thick enough that a spoon leaves a trail. Taste for salt.
- Serve in bowls topped with the cheddar, a spoon of sour cream and the green onion.
Good to know
Why mushrooms?
Chopped fine and cooked down, they disappear into the sauce and give the chili the thick, meaty body beans usually provide, for very few carbs. Pulse them in a food processor if you want them invisible.
To keep it keto
Skip beans, corn and sugar, and keep the onion to one. Check the chili powder: a pure blend is fine, while some seasoning packets add flour or sugar.
Make ahead?
Like every chili it is better the next day. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for 3 months.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 116
- Protein
- (50%)
- 14 g
- Fat
- (38%)
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- (12%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 350 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1892 kcal goes into the pot and 2356 g of ingredients comes out as about 1630 g of food: 116 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.