Most people do not think bean-free chilly when they imagine their traditional hearty chilly recipes. I LOOOVE a good bowl of warm and hearty chili in the chilly and wet weather, and we have been having nothing but chilly and wet weather here in Georgia recently. I have cut beans and all legumes out of my diet over the past few months due to eating more Whole30 inspired diet and I’ve been overall feeling really good.

But in this weather, I have been craving that soul-filling heart-warming bowl-o-chilli to chase away these dreary day blues… so I decided to experiment with creating a bean-free chili recipe of my own. I just needed to find the right replacement items to contribute to the “chunk” factor that the beans typically provide.

Working on the perfect bean-free chili recipe!

I played around with a few different things and found the best substitute to be lots of veggies ( particularly green pepper and celery) And what goes best with a hearty hot bowl of chili? Some sour cream of course.. but that totally takes away from the healthy factor of this dish, thus I whipped up an even more delicious and nutritious alternative: herbed greek yogurt! Full of protein and packs a flavor punch. It is the perfect topping for my bean-free chili recipe. I used Fage Total Plain Greek Yogurt to make the herbed yogurt. We always have this on hand and it is a staple in many of my breakfast recipes. I struggle with getting enough protein most days and adding in greek yogurt to my meals is a simple and fast way for me to get my protein intake to where it needs to be. Here is a link to my pinterest board of easy protein rich recipes using Fage Total Plain.

Without further ado, here is my bean-free chili recipe!

For the bean-free chili recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tbsp Olive oil, divided
• 1/2 Cup Onion, diced
• 1 Red pepper, diced
• 1/2 Cup Celery sliced
• 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
• 1 Lb Grass-fed 85% lean Ground beef or Ground Pork or Ground Chicken
• 4 tsp Chile powder
• 1 Tbsp Smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp Ground Allspice
• 1 Can Fire roasted diced tomatoes (14oz)
• 1 Can Crushed tomatoes (14 oz)
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 2 Tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 tsp Sea salt
• Pinch of pepper
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1/4 Cup Parsley minced

Instructions

1. Pour 1 Tbsp of the oil in your Instant Pot and turn it to sauté mode. Once hot, sauté the onion, pepper, celery and garlic until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the remaining oil, along with the beef and cook until it begins to turn brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Drain the excess fat.
3. Add in the chili powder, paprika, cayenne and Allspice and cook until the beef is totally brown and no longer pink, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the parsley, and stir until well combined.  Cover the Instant Pot (make sure it’s set to sealing) and turn it to manual mode set it for 10 minutes.  Once cooked, let the steam release naturally.
5. Once the steam is released, remove the lid and turn it to sauté mode. Cook for 2-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until some of the water is evaporated.
6. Stir in the parsley to finish.

For the Herb Yogurt

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain full-fat yogurt I use Fage Total Plain
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Whisk together the yogurt, chives, lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
2. Scoop a heaping spoonful on top of your piping hot bowl of bean- free Chili and devour!

Want more yummy Whole30 inspired recipes? Check out these easy-whole-30-recipes.