This Paleo Chili is a bean-free, Whole30-approved take on my award winning best chili recipe! It’s a hearty, flavorful chili made with ground beef, sausage, bacon and a wonderful blend of spices.
Since I updated my best chili recipe back in October with new, beautiful photos that show off how delicious it is, so many of you have been LOVING it. I knew that recipe was a winner, but lurking in the back of my archives with less-than-impressive photos, it was always overlooked.
After it got a new look, it managed to go NUTS on Pinterest, and after only about 3 months of being updated, it was my second most viewed recipe of 2016. Of course, with all those people looking at it, a bunch of you made it to.
I’ve been inundated with messages from folks claiming it’s the best chili they ever made. One reader, Jessica, brought it to her church chili cook-off, not even intending to compete with the folks who have been entering chili cook-offs for years…and she WON.
After I got that message, I knew the recipe was a winner, not just with me. After that, a whole bunch of other people also told me they won their chili cook offs, converted their chili-despising kids and husbands, and found a new favorite chili recipe. Nothing flatters me more, guys.
So, when the Super Bowl was coming up, I was jonesing for a big bowl of my favorite chili. But…I was still in the midst of my Whole30, so no beans allowed. I also scoped out the chili powder in my cabinet and found a whole bunch of weird, unnecessary stuff in there.
So I got to work, and adapted my favorite chili recipe to be Paleo + Whole30 approved! It wasn’t too hard to do, and the result is nothing short of fabulous. My dad even said it’s BETTER than the original when he tasted it (but he’s also prone to exaggeration…).
The main change was ditching the chili powder, and still getting all the flavor. The spices list may look a little intimidating, but the combination of all those spices makes for an incredibly flavorful chili.
It also allows you to control the heat yourself, by using cayenne powder. I’m a bit of a spice wimp, so I didn’t use too much, but if you like it hot, add as much as you can handle!
I make this recipe on the stovetop because then I don’t have to dirty any more pans after browning all the meats, but a bunch of folks have told me they’ve made it in the slow cooker. If you’d like to do that too, just follow the first two steps as written, and then add everything into the slow cooker to cook on low for at least four hours.
Between the bacon, the spices, and ALL the flavor packed in here, you definitely won’t be missing the beans. However, if you’re craving more bulk, some sweet potatoes and/or carrots would be great in here too. We loved it as is, though.
This makes a pretty big batch, so it’s perfect to do some meal prepping with, especially if you’re on Whole30 – this chili just gets better after a day or two in the fridge. The flavors meld together so well!
And when you’re serving, make sure you have some bacon to sprinkle over the top! You can never have enough bacon ;) enjoy!
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Remember to #bakerita if you try the recipe!
- 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef (I used leaner beef with 5% fat)
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (I used Spicy Italian from Trader Joe’s)
- ½ pound bacon (ensure it’s sugar-free to stay compliant)
- 2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups beef stock (homemade or compliant brand - use bone broth for an even richer taste)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1½ tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
- Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
- In a different pan, cook the bacon until crispy. Crumble and add to stock pot. Cook the chopped onion and pepper in the bacon drippings for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add to the stock pot.
- To the stock pot, add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef stock. Season with garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste.
- Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day. Serve with onions and crumbled bacon or whatever chili toppings you prefer!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Chili is one of my top three favorite comfort foods. You just can’t beat a bowl of deliciousness like this! Your version sounds just perfect, Rachel!
Rachel says
Chili is one of my favorites, too! Thanks Gayle.
Melanie @ Gather for Bread says
Looks so dang good!
Rachel says
Thanks so much Melanie!
Monica says
Girl, yes yes yes. You make yucky looking things LOOK AMAZING… I want a bowl or ten!
Jessica @ Citrus Blossom Bliss says
You had me at NO BEANS! I was never a big bean fan so all of my chilis have zero beans in them :) I love how many meats are in this chili and I can practically taste it through my screen it looks so delicious!
Rachel says
Thanks so much Jessica! Sounds like you’d definitely be a fan of this chili :)
mira says
Love chili and this one is loaded with wonderful ingredients! Love that there are no beans in it! Can’t wait to try it!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
That looks so warming and delicious!
David says
So how funny is this one? I’ve been looking for a good, solid chili recipe lately…and then I stumble over here to find your latest post is this amazing chili? Fate strikes again! We’re not doing the Whole 30 thing, so I’ll probably go make and make your original version…but that’s not to see this paleo chili isn’t amazing! (And I just used 2 negatives in a sentence. My high school English teacher would slap my wrist with a ruler for that one.) Can’t wait to shove my face in this pot of chili, Rachel!
Rachel says
Hahah you’re definitely going to love the original, David!! It’s a major favorite, and probably will be my go-to when I’m not serving paleo/non-bean-liking people :) they’re both so delicious, though!
doublebatchblog says
Wow, this looks so yummy! I love meaty chili recipes. I am interested in trying it on hotdogs.
Rachel says
That sounds amazing!!
Kelly says
This is seriously the prettiest chili!! I really LOVE that it’s paleo and whole 30 friendly too! We’ve been sick on and off all month and a big bowl of chili sounds perfect right now!
Monica Baker says
I’m planning on starting Keto, I was wondering if you have the net carbs for this? Thanks!
Rachel says
Hi Monica! I’m not sure how net carbs are calculated but I just updated the recipe to include nutritional info. Hope this helps you out!
Patrice Jones says
My family and I are new converts to the LCHF (low carb, high fat) way of life which is what led me on a search for a (good) chili recipe with no beans. To quote my 12-year-old “NO! BEANS!?! No respectful Texan would ever suggest such a thing!!!” You’ll be happy to know that I proved her wrong! Well, actually, you did. I used my 8.5 Qt cast iron dutch oven to brown the meat and cook the chili, and we used only 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, but everything else was by the recipe we found here. Thank you for giving us back one of our favorites. I’ll make triple the recipe next time so I can freeze some single servings for ‘leftover night.’ Thanks, Rachel!!
Rachel says
I’m so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the chili recipe, Patrice, and managed to prove your family wrong! :) Thanks so much for your feedback, and I hope you enjoy the recipe many times to come.
Nicole says
This recipe is REALLY good! I had to adapt it a bit as I didn’t have all the ingredients in my kitchen. I swapped the grass fed ground beef for ground turkey and since I changed to turkey I used chicken stock instead of beef. Lastly, I didn’t have enough cumin so I added a tiny bit of chipotle in adobo. We topped our chili with the bacon bits and diced avocado. My family loved it! Thanks again.
Rachel says
So happy to hear it was a success, and love the switch up to turkey. That sounds delicious! Thanks for your feedback, Nicole.
Dane says
Can this be done in a crockpot instead? What changes? Should I still brown the meat before putting it in the crockpot?
Rachel says
Hi Dane, you can certainly make it in the crockpot, I would definitely brown the meat first though. You could cook it on high for about 4 hours, or on low for 6-8. Enjoy!
Erica says
Hi.. we don’t eat pork products.. do you think your recipe would still taste good with just the ground beef or should I add chicken or turkey sausage in there for more flavor? Thank you :)
Rachel says
Hi Erica, I’ve done it with Italian chicken sausage and it was super delicious, so that would definitely work, but you could also just use the ground beef. Enjoy!
MamabyFaith says
Looks great and I look forward to trying it. I was just confused about not being able to use chili powder…
Rachel says
Hi there, chili powder usually has non-paleo additives so this recipe uses the spices commonly found in chili powder separately to get the flavors without the weird additives. Hope this makes sense!