It's day 1 for me on the Whole30 challenge. My fridge is stocked. I have lots of leftover Kale Potato Chicken Soup, a huge fruit salad the kids and I made and this amazing chili I whipped up after a big grocery shopping trip yesterday.
One pound of beef was all I needed to make 10 cups of this veggie-filled chili. The addition of eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini really bulk it up. The mushrooms add to the "meatiness" and everything else just makes it super yummy.
Here's what I did...
- 1 lbs ground beef (I used 90% lean grass fed)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 gloves of garlic
- 1 medium eggplant (~400g)
- 5-6 plum tomatoes
- 2 large bell peppers (I used red and yellow)
- 1 medium yellow squash (~250g)
- 1 medium zucchini (~250g)
- 1 oz package of mushrooms
- 1-2 jalapeños (to taste; I used a large one with the seeds and ribs)
- 6 oz can of tomato paste
- 1 tbsp unsweetend cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Salt to taste
Start to brown the beef with the chopped onion. While they are cooking, mince the garlic and add it in. Stir and begin to cube the eggplant.
When I make a big pot of chili like this I prep as I go. So add the eggplant as you cut and stir it in.
Sprinkle in a little salt to help draw out the moisture.
Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pot with another small pinch of salt.
Continue to chop (mince the jalapeño) the remaining ingredients adding each to the pot and stirring in.
By the time you are finishing the beef will be cooked and lots of moisture will be cooking out of the veggies. Stir in the can of tomato paste, spices and lime juice. You shouldn't have to add any additional liquid but if it's too thick to your liking, a splash or two won't hurt.
Cover and lower to a simmer, cooking at least 30 minutes allowing all the flavors to merge.
Serve with cubed avocado and cilantro on top.
| Servings | Amt per Serving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 cup (Not including avocado) | |||
| Calories | Fat | Fiber | WWPs | |
| 130 | 5g | 4g | old: 2 | new: 3 |
| Sugar | Sat Fat | Carbs | Protein | |
| 8g | 2g | 13g | 12g | |
Oh. My. Goodness. I made the chicken, potato, kale soup on Thursday, and I've been eating it for breakfast (I hate eggs.) I made this chili on Sunday, and I keep having to slap my husband's hand away, because, darn it, it's my lunch for the week. It is fantastic! You are now my favorite 🙂
Thank you so much for your recipes. I started my Whole 30 on Sunday, and I am a bit overwhelmed. This chili and your sausage recipe will be made on Sunday for next week.
I made this tonight and it was awesome. I didn't have jalapenos, so used extra black pepper and put some extra garlic in. The only thing I would have done differently is peeled the eggplant (the dark skin is visually distracting, to me). It's pretty tasty!
In the recipe it says 1 oz. package mushrooms - did you mean 1 8 oz. package?