Gluten Free Bacon and Beef Chili
This past week when we woke up, there was a thick layer of fresh white snow over the world. This winter has been unseasonably warm for us and we had been getting used to the milder temperatures. So with a fresh layer of snow on the ground and the temperature dropping, we felt that a nice big bowl of Gluten Free Bacon and Beef Chili was in order. We created this recipe out of everything we had on hand and threw it into a big pot, so we could enjoy it all week long. The ingredient list looks long but the majority of the ingredients are vegetables and sseasonings. You can always omit some ingredients or add in others depending on what you have on hand and your preferences. We hope you enjoy this Gluten Free Bacon and Beef Chili as much as we do. So let’s get started!
| Prep Time | 20 mins |
| Cook Time | 1 hour 10 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1 Onion roughly chopped
- 2 Tomatoes diced
- 2-3 Celery Stalks sliced
- 1/2 cup Green Pepper diced
- 1/2 cup Yellow Pepper diced
- 1/2 cup Frozen Corn
- 1 cup Carrots diced
- 4 Garlic Cloves sliced
- 1 can (540mL) Six Bean Medley (No Salt Added)
- 2 cans (796mL each) Diced Tomatoes
- 3-4 pieces Gluten Free Bacon we used Maple Leaf Natural Selections Bacon
- 200 grams Steak cubed
- 1/2 tsp Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp Chili Powder to taste
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp All Spice
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Paprika
Ingredients
Seasonings
Toppings
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- Start with prepping all of your ingredients. Roughly chop your onion, dice your 2 fresh tomatoes, slice your celery stalks, dice your carrots (we used baby carrots because it's what we had in the fridge and it was easiest), slice your peppers and cut the slices in half so they are smaller bite sizes pieces, and slice your garlic.
- Measure out your seasonings, cinnamon, all spice, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and paprika. You can also measure out your salt, black pepper and chili powder, however the amount you use will be determined based on your preferences. The more black pepper and chili powder you use the spicier it will be. If your chili is tasting on the bland side, you may need to add more salt. If you're trying to watch your sodium, some great alternatives are "Half Salt" or "Salt Free Salt."
- Next cook your bacon. It is best to cook the bacon in the pot that you plan to cook your chili in. Once the bacon is past the point of being floppy and is a bit crispy, remove from pot, let sit to cool and chop. Put these to the side. Drain the oil from the pot, unless you are happy with a little extra bacon grease in your chili.
- In the same pot that you cooked the bacon in, brown your steak. We used about 200g cubed steak which we previously marinated and froze cut up. Before cooking we let it thaw. Just brown the steak in the pot, it does not need to be cooked all the way through. This is just to get a sear on the meat, it will finish cooking as your chili cooks in the pot. Remove the steak from the pot and drain the oil. Instead of steak you can use ground meat or any other type of meat. If you're using ground meat, cook the meat all the way through before removing from pot.
- Put onions, celery, carrots and seasonings into pot and mix together. Adding the spices at this stage cooks them and enhances the flavour.
- Once the vegetables have softened. Add the beef, bacon, garlic, fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, and beans. Make sure that the beans are drained and rinsed before adding to the pot. Adding the garlic at this stage will ensure that it doesn't burn. Stir everything together.
- Cook for about an hour. The tomatoes should breakdown and create a thicker consistency. Then add the peppers and frozen corn. Let cook for 10 more minutes.
- Top with sour cream and green onion. Serve with Gluten Free garlic bread. We used Promise Gluten Free 3 Seeded Wholegrain Sandwich Rolls.
- ENJOY!
There you have it! It really quite simple when you get down to it. Like I said there are a lot of ingredients but majority are vegetables and seasonings. We used many vegetables to make the chili healthy. The seasonings give it that chili flavour. We did not use much chili powder because I am not a huge fan of spice. However if like spice you can always add a bit more chili powder and black pepper. If you’re cooking for a larger group of people and have a mixed opinion on spice. Split the batch into two pots just before step 5. This way you can season one pot mild and the other more spicy.
You can add different beans if you don’t like the ones we have used, or want more. The beans truly make this a hearty chili and help to keep you fuller for a long time. The base of this chili is also great if you want to make it vegetarian or vegan. Just don’t add any of the meat in and use a little bit of vegetable oil when you put your onions in. Since you won’t have the left over fat from cooking the meat and don’t want your onions to burn.
If you’re making this for only one or two people and want leftovers. Either store the entire pot or split the chili into glass containers to store in the fridge for up to a week. If you want to store the chili for longer, freeze in portions in plastic ziplock bags or plastic containers in the freezer. To thaw, microwave for a few minutes, or submerged in a bowl of warm to hot water.
We paired out chili with gluten free garlic bread. The bread that we used was Promise Gluten Free 3 Seeded Wholegrain Sandwich Rolls. We made homemade garlic butter spread and put it on the gluten free bread, then toasted the sandwich rolls in the oven for a few minutes. We also topped the chili with sour cream and green onion. I love sour cream and put just enough to get a little bit in every bite!
We hope you enjoy this Gluten Free Bacon and Beef Chili. It a great twist on classic chili and the best part about it, other than the bacon. Is that it is of course Gluten Free. No more questioning and worrying if the chili you’re eating contains even the smallest trace of gluten. When you make it at home you’re in control of everything that you add to the pot!
Let us know if you try out this recipe and your thoughts in the comments below! If you’re looking for other dinner ideas check out our Risotto with Roasted Tomatoes and Kale!
Here’s an eat, now go check out the treats!
From our kitchen to yours,
Karlee and Matthew