A mild low-carb chile con carne using (mostly) authentic ingredients. Roasted cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, and other adjustments to increase satiety while keeping it low-carb.
This low-carb chile con carne recipe keeps it low-carb by omitting beans and rice and achieves better nutrition with the addition of fresh cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and (optional but use them) black olives. (Come on, just try ‘em.)
Generally, chile con carne is supposed to be quite spicy. Personally, while I do enjoy a little heat from time to time, I do not enjoy the gastronomic journey that may ensue afterwards. Therefore, I’m using the very mild guajillo chile and only four of them. I’m using smoked paprika in lieu of other dried chiles that would normally contribute the smokiness, but would also add quite a lot of heat.
If you’d like a little more heat, you can simply use more guajillo chiles. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous and want a lot more heat, add in a few dried arbol or chipotle chiles in addition to the guajillo. (Prep and toast them the same way as the guajillos as described below.) Be careful - the spiciness can get out of hand quickly!
I know olives are a contentious ingredient. You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em. I hope you’ll give them a try in this recipe primarily for flavor reasons – they add a lot of richness where otherwise the main feeling might just be a lot of smokish heat. But, also, olives are one of those nutritional hacks that allow you to add healthy fats to a meal to aid satiety and balance out macronutrient composition. Give them a go!
This recipe uses beef chuck diced into cubes or strips, but ground beef would work just as well. Beef chuck needs some time to cook to become tender, at least an hour or so. Ground beef doesn’t need much time at all. So if you’re using ground beef, use less broth than listed below since the broth is mostly there to give the meat time to cook while allowing for some evaporation.
Where to find dried chiles (and storage):
Dried chiles can typically be found in the produce section of your grocery store, often hanging next to fresh herbs in the refrigerated area. Dried chiles don’t necessarily need refrigeration, so they might also be hanging out in the Mexican section of the international aisle.
Store any leftover dried chiles in an airtight container or zipper bag. They will last many, many months or longer in the pantry or cupboard.
Toppings:
Any traditional chili toppings work well with this chile con carne. But since the theme here is low-carb, I suggest sliced cherry tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and most definitely some avocado lightly sprinkled with sea salt. Sliced green onions also work great.
If you don’t mind the carbs, chile con carne is often served with rice and refried beans.
Low-carb tortillas:
In my opinion, most low-carb products that substitute for wheat flour are just plain bad, sometimes inedible. Low-carb tortillas are an exception. Every brand I’ve tried has been pretty good, so keeping this low-carb chile con carne low-carb is easy, even with the addition of tortillas. (I’ve been preferring the Ole brand lately.)
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Low-Carb Chile con Carne
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
A mild chile con carne using (mostly) authentic ingredients. Roasted onions, garlic, and cherry tomatoes, and some non-traditional adjustments to increase satiety while keeping it low-carb.
Ingredients
- 24 oz (approx.) cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium white onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 guajillo chiles
- 4 cups chicken (or beef) broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 lbs beef chuck, diced into ½ inch pieces
- ½ cup diced green bell pepper (about ½ of a bell pepper)
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup sliced black olives
Instructions
Roast the veggies:
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
- Quarter the onion, halve the cherry tomatoes, and peel the garlic.
- Add the onion, tomatoes, and garlic to a mixing bowl and toss with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Spread the onions, tomatoes, and garlic onto a sheet pan.
- Cook in the oven at 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until roasted. (Check on them after about 10 minutes. You can go as far as you'd like - anything short of burnt is just fine!)
- Add the veggies to a blender and set aside.
Starting the sauce (you can do this step as the veggies are roasting):
- Remove the stems and seeds from the chile peppers. (Cut the tops off the chiles and carefully slice down the side to open the pepper and remove the seeds.)
- Add the chiles to a large Dutch oven (or any large pan or pot with tall sides). Over medium-high heat, toast until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. (A few small black spots will appear on the chiles, which is fine.)
- When the chiles are toasted, add the chicken broth and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a lively simmer and allow to cook for roughly 15 minutes or until the chiles are thoroughly hydrated and the liquid has reduced by about half.
- Remove the bay leaves from the pot and pour the chiles and broth into the blender with the roasted veggies.
- Add the smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper to the blender. Allow the mixture to cool to a safe temperature for blending. (Never blend hot liquids!). Blend until smooth. Set aside.
Cook the meat:
- Season the diced beef thoroughly with salt and black pepper.
- Clean or wipe down the Dutch oven (if necessary) and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the beef chunks over medium-high heat in the Dutch oven, turning to sear on all sides. (Three pounds of beef will likely require you to cook the meat in two batches, unless you're using a very large pan. Simply set aside the first batch until the second is done. You will add it back in the next step.) Don't worry about doneness in this step. The meat will have plenty of time to cook in the sauce.
Put it all together:
- When the meat is cooked, pour the sauce into the Dutch oven with the meat (add back the first batch of meat if necessary). Also add the bell peppers and black olives. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 60-90 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Stir occasionally. (If using ground meat, it will not need to cook as long. Just cook until the sauce has reduced to a desired consistency and the flavors have developed richness.)
- When nearing the end of the cooking time, taste for salt and add more if needed. (The salt amounts listed in this recipe are conservative, since how much you need depends heavily on how much you reduce the sauce. You will likely need more salt at the end.)
- When the meat is tender, serve with low-carb tortillas and/or toppings of your choice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
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