Nightshade-Free Chili (Animal-Based, Beanless)

Prep time: 1 hr      Cook time: 1 hr      Rest time: 10 mins     Total time: 2 hrs 10 mins

Makes: 2 servings (if serving a family, make a double batch**)

**Note: one batch filled a 12-inch cast-iron pan, so if doubling this recipe, you will need a larger pan for cooking, like this one or this one.

This delicious nightshade-free chili is animal-based, beanless, and is full of fat, flavor, and nutrient-dense ingredients.

nightshade free chili animal based

What you need to make Nightshade-Free Chili (Animal-Based, Beanless)

Ingredients:

For the chili:

To garnish (optional):

Equipment:

nightshade free chili animal based

nightshade free chili animal based


How to make Nightshade-Free Chili (Animal-Based, Beanless)

Cook the bacon and the beef.

Using your kitchen shears, chop up the bacon into thin slivers (like 1/2 inch x 1 inch).

At medium heat, cook the bacon in your cooking pan.

Once the bacon is cooked to your liking (I recommend making it on the crispier side since it will be going into the chili and will naturally soften), remove it from the pan and place it on a plate to cool.

Add the ground beef to the pan with the bacon fat.

Cook the ground beef in the bacon fat until browned.

nightshade free chili animal based

While the bacon and beef are cooking, chop the cucumber and kabocha squash.

Note: When I designed this recipe, I intended for the kabocha squash to serve as diced tomatoes and the cucumber to serve as onions for both size and texture.

Skin your kabocha squash with your vegetable peeler, remove the seeds, and chop into large chunks (similarly sized to diced tomatoes you would find in chili). I made them about 3/4 inch x 3/4 inch – some pieces larger and others smaller.

Skin your cucumber with your vegetable peeler, cut around the seeds, and chop into smaller chunks (think finely diced onions like you would use for guac). I made them about 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch.

Note: there is a picture of my pre-cooked, chopped kabocha squash/cucumbers in the “Tips to Make the Best…” section above for reference.

nightshade free chili animal based


Once the beef is done, add the rest of the ingredients (aside from the bacon) to the pan with the beef.

Add the beef bone brothghee, chopped kabocha squash, chopped cucumber, ACVdried oreganosea salt, and ground cuminground coriander, and pureed garlic if using.

Bring to a boil then lower to medium heat. Simmer for 30-35 minutes at medium heat until the kabocha squash pieces swell and fully cook through. They should not be hard or crunchy, but rather keep their shape and be soft when bitten into.

Once the kabocha squash pieces are cooked through and the chili is done simmering, add the bacon pieces into the pan and stir.

nightshade free chili animal based


Allow the chili to cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve with garnishes.

Once the chili is done cooling, scoop some into a bowl. Top with any garnishes you prefer. I wrote out some ideas in the ingredient list above.

This dish is best served fresh, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Enjoy!

**Note: one batch filled a 12-inch cast-iron pan, so if doubling this recipe, you will need a larger pan for cooking, like this one or this one.

nightshade free chili animal based


Tips to make the best Nightshade-Free Chili (Animal-Based, Beanless)

  • One batch of this recipe filled a 12-inch cast-iron pan, so if doubling this recipe, you will need a larger pan for cooking, like this one or this one.
  • When I designed this recipe, I intended for the kabocha squash to serve as diced tomatoes and the cucumber to serve as onions for both size and texture, so cut the pieces accordingly. For kabocha squash, think large chunks, similarly sized to diced tomatoes you would find in chili. I made them about 3/4 inch x 3/4 inch – some pieces larger and others smaller. For the cucumber pieces, think finely diced onions like you would use for guac. I made them about 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch.
  • Reference this photo if looking for a size guide to cutting the kabocha squash and cucumbers:

nightshade free chili animal based


Other favorite dinner ideas:

Street Gyro Bowls

Loaded Burger Bowls

Tropical Taco Bowls

Chicken Bacon Tacos

Cobb ‘Salad’ with Duck Fat Ranch Dressing

Simple Oxtail Soup

Nightshade-Free Chili (Animal-Based, Beanless)

nightshade free chili animal based

Nightshade-Free Chili (Animal-Based, Beanless)

This delicious nightshade-free chili is animal-based, beanless, and is full of fat, flavor, and nutrient-dense ingredients.
Tried this recipe?Mention @ashrothstein or tag #asheats!
Prep Time1 hr
Cook Time1 hr
Resting Time10 mins
Total Time2 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients

For the chili:

To garnish (optional):

Instructions

  • If you’re interested solely in the recipe, skip this bullet point and keep on reading. For those interested in sourcing nutrient-dense food, low-toxic household products, and discounts on brands that may support your AB journey, you may find value in my product guides. Head over to this page if you’d like to check them out. All are free (and always will be).
  • Note: if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I make this dish multiple times per week. The version I usually make is much simpler than how the recipe is written. I often use only beef, ACV, water instead of broth, sea salt, kabocha squash, and cucumber, plus I sometimes add a zucchini/use ghee. I actually prefer it much simpler like this. Still has a great flavor and is much easier on my stomach.

Cook the bacon and the beef.

  • Using your kitchen shears, chop up the bacon into thin slivers (like 1/2 inch x 1 inch).
  • At medium heat, cook the bacon in your cooking pan.
  • Once the bacon is cooked to your liking (I recommend making it on the crispier side since it will be going into the chili and will naturally soften), remove it from the pan and place it on a plate to cool.
  • Add the ground beef to the pan with the bacon fat.
  • Cook the ground beef in the bacon fat until browned.

While the bacon and beef are cooking, chop the cucumber and kabocha squash.

  • Note: When I designed this recipe, I intended for the kabocha squash to serve as diced tomatoes and the cucumber to serve as onions for both size and texture.
  • Skin your kabocha squash with your vegetable peeler, remove the seeds, and chop into large chunks (similarly sized to diced tomatoes you would find in chili). I made them about 3/4 inch x 3/4 inch - some pieces larger and others smaller.
  • Skin your cucumber with your vegetable peeler, cut around the seeds, and chop into smaller chunks (think finely diced onions like you would use for guac). I made them about 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch.
  • Note: there is a picture of my pre-cooked, chopped kabocha squash/cucumbers in the "Tips to Make the Best..." section above for reference.

Once the beef is done, add the rest of the ingredients (aside from the bacon) to the pan with the beef.

  • Add the beef bone broth, ghee, chopped kabocha squash, chopped cucumber, ACV, dried oregano, sea salt (ASHLEYR for 15% off), and ground cumin, ground coriander, and pureed garlic if using.
  • Note: if you go through tons of salt in your household like we do, check out this salt purchasing hack that will save you money + make things more efficient. We started this last year, and I'm so happy we did!
  • Bring to a boil then lower to medium heat. Simmer for 30-35 minutes at medium heat until the kabocha squash pieces swell and fully cook through. They should not be hard or crunchy, but rather keep their shape and be soft when bitten into.
  • Once the kabocha squash pieces are cooked through and the chili is done simmering, add the bacon pieces into the pan and stir.

Allow the chili to cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve with garnishes.

  • Once the chili is done cooling, scoop some into a bowl. Top with any garnishes you prefer. I wrote out some ideas in the ingredient list above.
  • This dish is best served fresh, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Enjoy!

Notes

**Note: one batch filled a 12-inch cast-iron pan, so if doubling this recipe, you will need a larger pan for cooking, like this one or this one.

What I used for this recipe:

Other favorite dinner ideas:

Street Gyro Bowls

Loaded Burger Bowls

Tropical Taco Bowls

Chicken Bacon Tacos

Cobb ‘Salad’ with Duck Fat Ranch Dressing

Simple Oxtail Soup

Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting me!

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Ashley Rothstein
Ashley Rothstein

Ashley Rothstein develops tasty, whole food, animal-based recipes that include a moderate amount of “minimally toxic” plant foods. To fix her own health issues, she bounced around between the carnivore, keto, and paleo diets for a few years. After experiencing and studying each diet philosophy, she learned she feels her best by merging the three and following an animal-based diet. As a glut at heart, she likes to channel her creativity and create meals that are healthy but also satisfy her inner gluttonous spirits.

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3 Comments

  1. February 22, 2023 / 5:12 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for this recipe! I was struggling with palette fatigue after simplifying my diet for health reasons and this was such a tasty treat!!

  2. Kellie
    March 14, 2023 / 2:53 am

    5 stars
    So yummy! The whole family loved this!

  3. Abbey
    May 9, 2023 / 10:28 pm

    Made this exactly with all of the toppings included! I recommend if you’re just using regular cheap grocery store ground beef, to drain some of the grease AFTER cooking it in the bacon grease. Mine turned out very greasy and when I put the leftovers in the fridge, there was soooo much white solidified grease—but doing like this should fix that and keep the bacon fat flavor! Also be careful with adding too much avocado haha I went all in without even trying it first and it made it really rich! Such a great healthy alternative recipe to chili though! One of my bf’s fav foods!

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