on Jan 24, 2023, Updated Oct 25, 2023
Why You’ll Love Healthier Chili
This recipe is perfect for meal prep, as it holds up beautifully in the fridge for a few days, and the flavors only deepen over time.
This is a filling, stick-to-your-bones meal, made hearty with ground meat and two kinds of 🫘 beans. The 🌶️ chili powder adds just the slightest spice, but feel free to amp up the heat by adding more chili powder or serving the chili with hot sauce.
Also, I want to encourage you to use any 🫑 veggies, seasoning, or ground meat of your choice and make this recipe your own!
Likewise, you can easily throw in spinach or any 🥬 greens you like at the end of cooking to make the chili more nutrient-dense. Toppings are optional and this meal can be easily made plant-based (see notes below).
How To Prepare Healthier Chili
First, prep and chop all your ingredients in advance. This is a practice called “mise en place.” When all your ingredients are ready, start by heating the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add ground meat and break it into small chunks as it browns, which takes about 10 minutes, ensuring all the liquid evaporates. Reduce the heat to medium, then stir in onions, garlic, chipotle chili powder, 🍅 tomato paste, and tomato sauce one by one. Next, pour in the vegetable broth, let it come to a boil, then reduce to medium-low, semi-cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Finally, add 🫘 beans and 🫑 bell peppers, increasing the heat to medium-high, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. You can adjust the consistency by adding more broth or boiling longer.
Variations and Substitutions
There are various ways you can adjust this Healthier Chili to fit your diet, taste, or other preferences.
You can substitute the ground turkey with ground beef, pork or 🐔 chicken. Make a meatless version of this recipe with tofu or impossible ground meat. Try any combination of 🫘 beans. I used kidney and cannellini, but you could also use black, pinto, or white beans. You can certainly use almost any vegetables that you want; try zucchini, 🍠 sweet potatoes, 🌽 corn, or butternut squash. In addition, you could add 🥬 greens at the end of cooking for some added nutrients. Get creative with toppings and try sliced 🥑 avocado, 🧅 red onion, or pickled jalapeños.
Best Served With
No-Knead Peasant Bread No-Knead Gluten-Free Bread. Cheesy Roasted Garlic Bread. Simple Green Salad
Similar Recipes
If you’re interested in comforting soups, don’t forget to explore other similar soup recipes on my blog:
Pastina Soup Greek Lemon Soup The Best Lentil Soup Hidden Veggie Orzo Soup Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup Healthiest Cream of Hidden Veggie Soup Hidden Veggie Meatball Soup Chicken Noodle Soup
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