Beanless Chili
This beanless chili is perfect for game days, especially on top of corn chips with a little bit of cheese! Comforting and cozy, you can make this recipe ahead of time and freeze to have ready.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 shallots, peeled and chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1½ tablespoons chili powder
- 1½ tablespoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups chopped butternut squash, roughly 1/4-1/2" pieces
- 1 14oz can chopped tomatoes * I used Carmelina
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar (optional)
- 1½ cups broth or stock of choice
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- radish and green onion for topping
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a heat heavy bottomed pot, like a dutch oven, over medium heat. Add chopped shallots and garlic, sautéing for a minute or two until fragrant. Then add ground beef and cook, breaking it up into small bits with a wood spoon. Stir frequently so garlic doesn't burn. If you have leftover liquid/fat from the beef, I like to take a paper towel and stir it around the pot with a wooden spoon to soak up some excess liquid.
- Once the beef is cooked, add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, honey (or sugar), and smoked paprika. Stir to combine, still over medium heat. Then add butternut squash and chopped tomatoes, plus broth, with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir again and bring the dish to a simmer (small bubbles on top).
- Allow to simmer on low heat for 30 minutes then serve warm.
Notes
- This recipe freezes really well, just use some broth to reheat it in a dutch oven.
- For all meat chili, omit the butternut squash and add another pound of ground meat.
- To make this vegetarian, omit the meat and double the butternut squash, or sweet potatoes can also be used.
- For whole30/paleo, use honey or omit the sweetener. Just be careful with how spicy you make it because the sweetness balances spicy.
- For low sodium, see post for suggestions on broth. Omit added sodium.
- Serve this with tortilla chips with some cheese, radish, green onions.
- See post for slow cooker instructions.
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 192mg | Potassium: 922mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 8554IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 6mg
