We know how important it is to make comfort food on cold winter days, with fall approaching faster than ever. Classic Beef Chili is a one pot classic comfort food made with ground beef, kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, and spices, ready in under an hour. Most keto chili recipes basically skip the beans, maybe add some kind of vegetable to replace the beans. they’re all great but when I want chili, I want beans.
Most beans are high carbs, we all know that. Didn’t have them for a long time until, yes until I was standing in line of a Turkish food store and saw black soybeans. just picked up the can and turned to read the label. Crazy keto people do that lol. To my surprise, I read 8g total carbs, 7g fiber. And I kid you not I yelled out WTF? Ahhmmmm excuse my language, but beans with 1 net carbs per serving. I was beyond excited. So of course I got home and made some cauliflower rice and beans. Yes I did because I love them and they were amazing. So now I had to share it with all of you who are not strict keto and are ok eating soy products. They add 1 g net carbs to my regular non bean keto chili and I’ll take that any day.
Another ingredient that I add is cacao powder. No it isn’t 100% necessary but adds that “hmm I taste something but can’t put my finger on it” flavor. Just trust me on this one. As always please use less amount of spices if you prefer milder food. I am a spice fanatic and love bold flavors. Though this recipe isn’t spicy, I would suggest that you skip the jalapeno and lessen the amount of chili powder to make it mild.
The Best Keto Chili with lazy keto/ Low Carb Beans Option
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1/2 cup bell pepper
- 1 jalapeno optional
- 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp sweetener https://amzn.to/3cU5W8O
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika optional
- 1 tsp cocoa powder https://amzn.to/3in9oKg
- 1 can 15 oz chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can 15 oz black soybeans. Heres are the ones I use https://amzn.to/33pFWyW for Low Carb version only
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth or any broth of choice
Instructions
For the keto version
- Add the olive oil to your dutch oven and add the ground beef.
- Break the beef using a wooden spoon.
- Cook until the beef changes color.
- Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno if using.
- Cook for 5 minutes on high. Beef should get brown bits, this means major flavor.
- Add all the spices and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the beef broth, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and canned tomatoes.
- Simmer this uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes or until it gets to the consistency you prefer.
For the low carb version
- Follow all the instructions above and add the drained can of beans, and simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes or until it reaches the consistency you prefer.
- Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and jalapeno slices if you prefer.
- Tastes even better the next day and freezes really well.
Thanks for this recipe! Sadly, however, the nutritional values on the Eden black soybean label have apparently changed since you posted this. The labels on my cans now show about three times the carbs as when you wrote this post. 🙁 At least, even though it’s no longer acceptable for most keto dieters, it’s still much lower than regular black beans… so there’s that…. By the way, I made this an even faster, easier dish by simply combining the soybeans with a can of Rotel Mexican Style diced tomatoes and green chili, which contains lime juice, onion, garlic, cumin, and cilantro. It came out very spicy but quite tasty, and boy, was it quick to make!
Hi, sorry I’m just seeing this. I haven’t paid attention to the cans lately but I definitely will. Your faster version sounds delicious! And I’m all for everything spicy 😀
By the way, regarding my quick, two-can dish mentioned previously, the Rotel’s turns out to be a healthy prepared food, since it’s non-GMO and comes in a BPA-free can, and it has no preservatives or other strange chemicals or artificial flavorings. Sheesh! I sound like a commercial… but I was surprised to see how complete it was and how relatively “benign.” Oh, forgot to mention that although I left out the broth and tomato paste, I did also add a pinch of cacao powder and a few drops of stevia, following your suggestions!
Oh… and one more thing: I made the dish using ground turkey instead of beef, and I browned it in olive oil before adding the tomato mixture, so I figure it was even more healthy (and economical). It tasted great; nonetheless, I think I’ll change it up and try it with ground free-range beef next time…. 🙂
Hi, sorry for the late reply. Glad to hear about all the tweaks and you loving it.
Absolutely delicious chili, that cocoa as a secret ingredient really puts it over the top! I do substitute celery for the bell peppers to lower the carb count and I love using the Eden black soybeans. I believe the previous commenter must’ve bought the Eden Black beans by mistake, the carb count on the label is consistent with what you state. Easy to bring together if you have your mise en place. Even better the next day! Thanks so much for sharing.