After making beet paste, I knew beet chili was on the horizon. However, trying to make a nightshade-free chili recipe that didn’t taste so beet-y required some creativity. Fortunately the kitchen is my playground, and my husband gave me the treasure map! While we were dating, Kory gifted me one of the best kitchen books I could ever ask for: The Flavor Bible. If you don’t have one in your kitchen, get one now! Let me tell you my favorite thing about The Flavor Bible. You can look up any ingredient and it will give you a full list of other ingredients that go well with it, bringing balance to any meal. Anybody wonder what to do with carrots when you’re tired of having them the same way….over and over again….

Alright let’s get down to the nitty gritty about this Beet Chili. Two things: 1) you won’t even be able to tell it’s made with beets and zero nightshades. My father-in-law, who swears by Texas Chili Laws, tried my chili and said “that’s some of the best chili I’ve ever had.” 2) This chili is packed with some incredible spices that your body will thoroughly enjoy, and of course your tastebuds. Fennel and black pepper are the top spices in this chili that make it chili-tasting without needing all of the chili powders. Fennel is excellent for gut, heart, eye, bone, muscle, and skin health, and even helps with menopause and breast milk production! Don’t believe me, ask Google. Pair that with black pepper that aids in digestion, inflammation, brain and bone health, cholesterol and blood sugar levels and you’ve got a one-two punch. And that’s just 2 of the 11 spices that go into this! Not to mention the nutrients you get from the vegetables.

If you read the Beet Paste recipe, you know all the health benefits of beets. But then add carrots that support eye function, cilantro that supports urinary tract function, mushrooms that build your immune system, and onions that have so many antioxidants and cancer fighting properties! And you don’t just have a hearty chili, you have a healing chili!

This chili is an incredible alternative for anyone that suffers acid reflux or indigestion from high acidity foods such as tomatoes and chili peppers. No more need to avoid the chili line just because you don’t want to see it make a reappearance. No more sadness when fall weather comes around the corner and everyone is eating and sharing their chili recipes and you just can’t even. Yes you can! So go out, get your favorite chili fixings and enjoy! And if you want to change anything up to meet your preferred taste or health needs, go for it!

Beet That Chili Recipe

Yield: 6-8 servings (1 large dutch oven full)

Cost of Goods: approximately $25, $3-4 per serving

Ingredients:

1 LB Ground Beef/Venison/Chicken/Turkey *if you use chicken or turkey, add a tbsp of oil to your pan before cooking
2 15-oz cans Black Beans or Red Beans, drained (or make your own here!)
4 Cups of The Easiest Veggie Broth (or broth of choice)
2 Cups of Water
2 Large Sweet Potatoes, largely diced
1 Large Onion, largely diced
2-3 Large Carrots, largely sliced
1 Small Package of Mushrooms, cut to your desired size
4 Large Stalks of Celery, medium sliced
¼ Cup of Cilantro, chopped (you can use parsley instead)
3 Large Garlic Cloves, minced (or 1 tsp of garlic powder)
8 OZ Beet Paste
¼ Cup Olive Oil
⅓ Cup Nightshade-Free Chili Spice Blend *You can use any chili spice blend you prefer!

2 Bay Leaves
1 TBSP Vinegar (Red Wine or White Vinegar are my favorites)
1 OZ of Lemon Juice
3 TBSP Yellow Mustard
2 TBSP Stone Ground Mustard
2 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 TBSP Nutritional Yeast
Optional: 1 TSP Applewood Smoked Salt

Utensils Needed:

Large pot or dutch oven, with lid
Saute Pan
Cooking Spatula or Wooden Spoon
Various sized mixing bowls
Knife & cutting board (or food chopper)
Measuring cups & spoons

Get ‘Er Done:

Drain the beans
Chop your veggies and set aside.
Add your meat, onions, and garlic to your large pot, and let it cook about 75%. No need to drain any excess oil unless that is your preference.
Add the beet paste to the pot, incorporating thoroughly.
Add the mushrooms to the pot, then add the veggie broth and the water.
Add the beans, both mustards, the olive oil, the nutritional yeast, the bay leaves, and all of your chili spice mix. Incorporate completely. You now have your chili “base”. Let this cook for 1 hour on low heat, covered, stirring occasionally if on the stove top.
After an hour, test the chili. Add more salt or more seasoning as you’d like! Then add the sweet potatoes to the pot. Let this cook for another hour, covered, stirring occasionally if on the stove top.
After an hour, in a saute pan add a tbsp of olive oil and the sliced carrots. Allow the carrots to soften some, but not completely. The rest of the softening will happen in the chili pot. I rather enjoy blackening my carrots on high heat with a pinch of cinnamon sprinkled over, giving them a sweet and smoky flavor!
Add the celery to the saute pan. Get them somewhat translucent, but not completely cooked. Then add the carrots and the celery to the chili pot, along with the chopped cilantro (leaving some aside for topping) and mix thoroughly.
Cover the chili, put it on low heat, and allow it to cook for another hour, coming back and stirring based on your stove-top. If it feels like you need more liquid, feel free to add more vegetable broth or water! Much of your flavor is already packed in!
Remove the chili from the heat and do a taste test! If you prefer to have it sweeter, feel free to add some coconut sugar or raw cane sugar! If you like it more zingy, add some more mustard! If you like it more earthy, add more mushroom powder, fennel, or turmeric! So many ways to get a chili that’s just right for you!
Once you’re ready to eat, scoop out the chili, top with cilantro and the applewood smoked salt, and enjoy!

Notes about this recipe:

Personally, I am a fan of using a dutch oven and putting the chili in the oven at a low temperature of 250 degrees farhenheit, and allowing it to cook each of the 3 hours that way. This way you don’t have to keep coming back to stir it constantly!
The longer you let the chili cook on low, either in the oven or on the stove top, the more depth of flavor you get. I enjoy cooking mine for 3-4 hours, but it can be done in a shorter period of time or even longer! If you opt for longer, don’t add the carrots and celery until the last hour.
The sweet beet flavor really has to be offset by tangy, pungent, earthy flavors to create an authentic chili taste; hence the heavy fennel, black pepper, and mushroom powder.
If you want it spicier, try adding a dash of ginger juice! That’ll kick up the heat without adding any nightshades. Plus you get great digestive benefits from the ginger!
The nutritional yeast acts as a “cheesy” aspect to the chili that helps tame the beets. If you can have cheese in your diet, I’d recommend using a freshly grated cheddar or smoked gouda as a topping.
You can sub out any mustard for any other mustard of your choice. Only like yellow mustard? Then only use yellow mustard! I would avoid Honey mustard as you don’t want to add sweetness to the already sweet beets.
It’s always been a running belief in my household that if you find one of the bay leaves in your chili, you get to make a wish! Salud! But don’t eat it.
I would love to hear about how you made this recipe your own or if you have any questions, please let us know!

Beet That Chili!