Because winter just keeps on trucking. 
Actually, it's going to be 75 degrees here today, but climate change is a MYTH because it's still super cold some places, that's how that works. So! If you are in a colder climate or just love cozy foods (me), here's your new chili for the season! Jay finished Whole30 in January, but this is something we've made a few times mainly because I don't actually love beans, so having extra veggies and beef in chili is GREAT for me. The liquid aminos here substitute Worcestershire sauce, and truthfully COCONUT aminos would be even better to be truly Whole30 compliant, but this is what we had so we went with it.
I'm not a massive soup person, but I'm a massive stew/chili person (or maybe I'm just massive). I find them to be so hearty and cozy, and they work so well when made in advance. We've been working three or more nights a week recently, so cooking "for" dinner ends up with us eating at 9pm or so, which is just ridiculous. Exhausted doesn't begin to describe how we're doing, so dishes like this that can be made well in advance but not feel like leftovers are my favorite thing right now.
The base of the chili is tons of veggies, which is just important and delicious, and then ground beef bulks everything up. Flavor comes from tomato paste, fire roasted tomatoes, chili powder, smoked paprika, and beef stock. The liquid aminos deepen the flavor, and the chili simmers until the veggies are soft and the flavors are just so good. 
First, preheat a large soup pot with some olive oil to medium heat. Add the beef and cook it for about 7 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon as you go. While the beef is working, I chop up the rest of the veggies. You can make the veggies as large or as small as you like, just make them generally the same size so they'll cook in the same amount of time. 
When the beef is browned, add the veggies to the pot. Stir the veggies into the beef mixture for about 5 minutes to let them soften slightly. 
Next, add the spices and tomato paste and stir THAT into the beef mixture. Let that cook for just a minute or two, then add the fire-roasted tomatoes, the beef stock, and the liquid aminos (or Worcestershire sauce!). 
Stir the chili to incorporate the tomato paste, and let it come to a bubble. At this point, taste the chili and add a few pinches of salt until the tomatoes don't taste too acidic. 
Cover the chili and reduce the heat to low, and let the chili simmer for 15 minutes or until the veggies are very tender. Taste the chili again and add more salt - it'll probably need it. 
At this point, you can turn the chili off and eat it later, serve it right away, or simmer it uncovered for a few minutes to thicken it if it seems to thin to you. 
Then, eat! I topped this with just sliced green onion, but cilantro, hot sauce, or non-Whole30 toppings like cheddar or sour cream would of course be delicious. 
This is SO good; the flavor from the smoked paprika and fire-roasted tomatoes makes this so comforting and warming, and, while this definitely gets better the longer it simmers and sits, it's delicious after just 15 minutes of simmering, so this can definitely be made on a weeknight, or a Sunday and eaten throughout the week.
Enjoy! This'll keep you warm until spring.
Whole30 Beef Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ medium onion diced
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 15 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons liquid aminos or Worcestershire sauce, or coconut aminos
- 2 cups beef stock
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat a large pot with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the beef, and cook for about 7 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon as you go.
- When the beef is browned and cooked through, add the vegetables to the pot. Stir for about 5 minutes to soften the veggies, then add the chili powder, smoked paprika, and tomato paste. Stir the seasonings into the veggie mixture.
- Add the diced tomatoes, liquid aminos, and beef stock to the pot. Stir to combine and let the chili come to a simmer. Taste the chili and add several pinches of salt to your preference.
- Cover the chili, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender. If the chili seems dry or too thick, add more stock until you reach a consistency you like. Taste for salt once more, and serve immediately or turn the heat off and reheat before eating.
- Enjoy!
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