When I was searching out recipes for my Low Carb Superbowl Recipe Roundup I noticed that there is a surprising lack of low carb ground beef chili recipes out there on the interweb.
Even here on IBIH I have some non-traditional low carb chili recipes like the Tropical Turkey Chili and Pumpkin Chicken Chili (which are both delicious if I do say say so!), but no traditional ground beef chili recipes.
So this week I decided to remedy that situation – and not only that, but I wanted to give you a super simple and fast chili, that can be whipped up on a weeknight (or any time) in just a few minutes.
Now people love their chili recipes – so much so that entire contests and Simpsons episodes are devoted to it. Maybe you have a family favorite that you swear by, and I’m not trying to tread on that here. But sometimes you just need dinner fast, or cheap, or just feel too lazy to devote hours to simmering down all those chopped veggies and meat into the best chili anyone has ever tasted.
And that, my friends, is where this recipe comes in. Don’t get me wrong, it might not win any contests, but this is some seriously delicious chili that can serve many uses. Eat it out of a bowl with a spoon, stuff it into little sweet peppers as an appetizer, cover it with cheese and sour cream and serve with pork rinds as low carb nachos, use it as a base for taco salad…you get the idea.
The secret to this 10 minute chili is using a prepared salsa in lieu of doing all of that chopping yourself. Use any salsa that you like – if you enjoy the flavor of it out of the jar, then you’ll love it in this chili. If you can find one that is free of sugar and fillers, then this makes a perfect, easy Whole 30 lunch or dinner. I’m writing the recipe for 4 servings (1lb ground beef), but it can easily be double, tripled, etc.
So do yourself a favor and don’t be a chili snob – give this one a try and you might never go back to your old, labor intensive, chili recipe again!
10 Minute Low Carb Chili
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cayenne (optional)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup prepared salsa (I used Pace Mild)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the ground beef and all of the spices. When the meat is cooked through, add your salsa. Simmer for 5 minutes. Nom.
- Optional garnishes: red onion, cilantro, avocado, lime, cheese, sour cream, corn, peppers
Notes
Approx. nutrition info per serving: 229 calories, 9g fat, 2.25g net carbs, 33g protein
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I won’t ever go back to using spice packets again! I LOVE this recipe!!
★★★★★
Thought I would miss the beans, but found it to be satisfying well-rounded and perfect for the chili craving!
Stupid question probably, but what does Nom mean in the directions?
Nom. Nom. Nom. Eat up!
Hi, thanks for this recipe. I was wondering if adding some tomato sauce or more salsa would make a “souper” chili? Which do you recommend? (as far as taste is considered)
I added a bit of water to mine.
Hi, I am planning to do 7 day egg fasting. Couple of questions:
1. How many eggs are you allowed to eat each day??
2. We don’t eat any meat other than chicken. Can I follow the above recipe with grounded chicken??
Incredibly satisfying meal! It’s been a once a week thing with “corn”bread muffins since I found this recipe!
★★★★★
I eat low carb, high fat to control my diabetes. Confession: I don’t stick to 20 carbs or less per day, more like 30 to 40. Love this recipe blog. I made this chili tonight. I added 1/4 cup of refried beans, and topped each serving with chopped avocado, shredded cheddar, and sour cream. Very good! My family liked it too. Served with a side of steamed broccoli. Thank you for making my life re easier.
★★★★★
Glad it was a hit! Thanks!
Pace Three Pepper Salsa has 2.0 g. Carbs and <1.0 g Fiber per 2 Tbsp. That's a pretty low count and it has GREAT flavor!
★★★★★
Your carb caount is WAAAAAAAAY off. Just 2 Tbsp of Pace Salsa has 4 grams of carbs. 1/4 cup would be 8 times that in your serving math. Hence why there is no good low-carb chili recipe available.
YOU sir, are incorrect. From the Pace website directly there are 3 grams total carbs in 2 Tbsp, minus the 1 gram of fiber that leaves you with 2g net carbs per 2 Tbsp – or 1 net carb per Tbsp of which 8 are called for. Divided by 4 servings, that’s 2g net carbs of salsa per serving of chili. The other .25g net coming from the spices. Don’t waste my time.
Yessssss! He tried it!!! He was so confident lol. I’ve made this before and absolutely loved, I’m wanting to make it today, but I don’t have the coriander. Will this change the flavor too much? Thanks in advance. I love you Melissa!
I’m curious to why it is lean beef, don’t we want the fat?
Even lean beef has plenty of fat and since we don’t drain any of it off if you used chuck you’d have an unappetizing oil slick on the top – it turns out just right with the leaner ground beef. BUT if you want to use the fattier one just drain any extra off before serving.
Love how you just HANDLED that !
I am making your Salisbury Steak tonight. Keto On !
Actually, dude, there are only 4 tablespoons in a 1/4 cup, although the recipe does call for 1/2 cup, which actually does consist of 8 tablespoons. If you’re going to try to be critical, you should, at least, get your numbers right.
I found this out as well. I used chili powder instead of cayenne, and my carb count come out to about 8g. It was 10 after I added sour cream and cheese! 🤢 such a shame… that’s too high for such a small serving (roughly 1/2 cup).. yikes!
There’s no way the carbs are that high – I’m guessing you’re using MFP which is notoriously inaccurate.
I found this recipe and decided to try it! I’m so glad I did. I had to use a bit more salsa but I think it’s because I used ground turkey. I also didn’t have ground coriander so I used chili powder. I liked how it came out. I do want to try it as written without any substitutions. I was worried it would be filling and needed a side but it was the perfect portion. I wish I could share my photo. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m too tired to even think of cooking tonight and it’s only 930 a.m. Gotta try this tonight.
Mellissa,
Love this recipe..very easy. (I’ve made 2x this month since I saw it posted)…
This fish recipe also very easy and I even forgot the lemon in my haste and it was fabulous.
I am new to using any forums(as you can probably tell).. but I thought you might like to know about this recipe. I would love to see what you could do with this recipe too!
….I found it when I did a google search for low carb fish recipe. The following was in a forum..(I hope I am not doing something wrong by mentioning it)
I baked some fish last night and it was the BEST ever, so I wanted to share the recipe with you all here. this is what I did.
I took 5 cod fillets (frozen) out of the bag, thawed them completely (took a couple of hours, although you could easily use fresh fish too), then wicked out the excess moisture with paper towel. Then I sprayed a cake pan with oil, layed down 5 thin slices of lemon (one for each piece), then layed the fish on top of each slice of lemon. then I poured heavy whipping cream on top of each piece of fish. (about a cup total). Then I sprinkled each pieace of fish with some fresh grated parmesan (about 1-2 T. each piece) and a bit of salt. Then put it in a 375 oven for about 30-40 minutes. (depending on the thickness of your fish and how brown you want it to get). THAT’S IT!! It was the best fish I have ever had in my life!!!
From
Dorene Amos
I made it with just 2 pieces of cod.
★★★★★
Doreen, Thanks for sharing your fish recipe. Sounds great! Going to try it tonight🙂
Great recipe. I had 6 oz of ground beef left from another recipe, so I scaled it down for a quick meal. I’ll definitely scale up next time.
I am doing your 3 day kick starter plan and just made the Cream cheese pancakes and wow they were good. I’m curious why we can’t have beans? Is it because they increase the carbs? I thought they were a good source of protein. I’m loving your site and am an avid cook so I’m sure I’ll be visiting on a regular basis.
★★★★★
Yes, beans have too many carbs for keto. It’s all chemistry and if you go over the 20g net carbs per day it won’t work so beans are a no no!
I had a feeling that was the problem. Ok now onto find more yummy meals to make from you site!
OK, somewhere on here I saw what you ate each day. This was yesterday.. Do you think I can find it today?? NO!!!
I know one day said 8 eggs, etc… Can you please direct me to what you ate on the egg fast each day??
I tried to stay on it yesterday, but went off a bit… I still lost almost 2 pounds the first day. I am hooked!!
Love your blog and recipes and LOVE you!!
Thanks,
DonnaL
★★★★★
You’ll find that info on the egg fast plan post I think!
What is a serving size for this awesome chili? I know it’s 1/4 of the entire meal but what does that equate to? I’m horrible with math! Thanks so much!
When I did it, I got around 3/4 cup per serving.
I would love to try this recipe but the Jar of salsa I have says there are 2.2 g of carbs in 2 tbl. Of salsa! The recipe calls foe 1/2 cup of salsa!!
There are no carbs in the meat and minimal carbs in the spices. 1/2 cup is 8 tablespoons so that totals 8 carbs from the salsa. If you eat the serving size which is 1/4 of the recipe that is still only 2 carbs per serving. Try to find a salsa with only 1 carb per serving and that will make it even lower.
This is the basic way I’ve done Chili for at least 20 years. Mine starts with 1# ground beef, 1 can pork and beans and 1 of chili beans, I like to add corn sometimes. To this I add 1qt and 1 pt of my home made salsa. Simmer just a bit and yummmmmm.
I made this tonight. Quick, easy and very tasty! My kind of recipe! I topped mine with a little cheese, sour cream and avocado. Yummy!
★★★★★
Made this tonight. It was SO good and filling! Thank you for putting together such great, easy recipes! I would never have started this diet without you!
Amazing! Added some sliced avocado and diced red onion to the top, and a bit of cheese. Thank you for a quick, AWESOME recipe!
★★★★★
I add a tablespoon of chipotle in adobo sauce and it adds a depth of flavor that is just amazing. There is a little sugar(2 g per serving) in the chipotle, tho…..
★★★★★
Did you mean 22.5g of carbs? Or is it really 2.25??! This seems too good to be true!
Really 2.25!
This was awesome and I loved how easy it was. Great meal in a pinch. I used a gormet salsa, excellent! Thanks for sharing this.
★★★★★
This is a favorite recipe with both my husband and I. It is so incredibly quick and easy to make. Even when we are not currently following a low-carb diet, we still make this dish as one of our “staples”.
★★★★★
Just wanted to let you know I made this today. So simple like you said. I made a triple batch and put each serving in snack sized bags for lunches/quick dinners. So much better than I expected it to be. I don’t miss the beans at all. I added a dollop of sour cream on top. MMM mmm good!!! Thanks!
★★★★★
Made this for the first time last evening and wow… so simple, so fast and SO tasty! Hubby loved it too and commented on how delicious it was. I modified the recipe by adding 2T diced canned chili peppers, and topped it with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped avocado. I used Pace “medium” salsa and chili powder instead of cayenne (cause I didn’t seem to have any). I’m having it again for lunch, and I can’t wait.
★★★★★
Hi Mellissa! I just wanted to tell you that I love your 10 minute “No Chop” Chili recipe! I made it for the family last night and my five year old and two year old had seconds on it! (They had theirs with tortilla chips.) They rarely ask for seconds at all, so this recipe is a keeper and will go into our regular rotation. Thanks for all your hard work with this site :) Abby
★★★★★
You’re welcome Abby! So glad it was a hit with the kids!
From a chili snob: this is fantastic! I was so skeptical before making this. Ive decided it’s my go-to. I made a batch for my daughter and me last night. Made another batch today and added beans for my “not low-carber” hubby. I stuck with the no bean version for my bowl.
BTW: in my rush to make this last night, I confused the coriander with cardamom. 😛. I didn’t realize it until making the chili again today. Since I enjoyed the flavor so much from the chili ingredient error, I stuck with it today.
★★★★★
LOVE THIS SITE!!! PLEASE SEND RECIPES TO ME OR KEEP ME POSTED ON NEW ITEMS!!
THANK YOU
This is amazing! GREAT flavor! I am really loving your site!
Hi there and thanks for the three day keto kickstart. I’ll start off by saying I’m a cooking idiot, but is the ground beef supposed to be drained? I’m thinking no, since low-fat isn’t really part of the picture… I made this once already, doubled it and I just threw everything in the pot all at once. Also, would more salsa be the way to make it a little less of a pile o’meat?
Thanks, Doug
Hi there! This recipe is a serious life saver. One question: are we supposed to pour out the grease after browning, or leave it in for simmering?
It depends Laura – if you’re full keto then you’ll want that fat to offset the protein, but if you’re not on a ketogenic diet then you can remove some of it to keep the calories down. It also depends on how lean the meat is that you start with – I usually use 80/20 which provides some fat but it’s not completely swimming in it like it would be if you used 73/27. If you start with a 90/10 you won’t have to drain it at all. Hope that helps! :)
How much is 1 serving if you’re weighing it out?
Sorry, I have no idea what the weight would be.
Oh ok I’m sorry I meant to ask how did you get the total macros for each serving?
What is the actual serving size? I see that the recipe makes 4 servings but I wasn’t sure how much actually equaled 1 serving?
Sorry if this has been asked before! I’m only about 2 months in to keto and stumbled upon your website and have loved everything so far! Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this chili, and I just have to say THANK YOU for sharing the knowledge and all the recipes. I will be honest I havent had a lot of success with the “bread” substitute recipes as I couldn’t stomach the texture or taste, but your pancakes oh boy! Such a treat! I’m trying the 3 day keto plan and hope I am successful. I decided years ago that my most successful and best chances for weight loss and management is no carb/low carb. I did really well many years ago but have been struggling for the last two years trying to maintain.,other than having to travel for my job, with client lunches and dinners I feel a lot less frustrated having found your site.
Hi Mellissa,
Thanks so much for all of the work you did with sharing and posting the Egg Fast. I am having great success. And although I thought I would get tired of eggs I think you made this easier by including recipes. They are all tasty and break up the tired old feeling and boredom of eating eggs everyday.
I had one question though. On your 10 minute No Chop low carb chili oregano isn’t a listed ingredient. But on the pantry list it is listed as an ingredient for day 7 of the chili. Was this just an omission in the recipe? If so, could you let me know how much I should add?
I know you must be insanely busy but any help you could give me for the chili would be much appreciated. I just want to make it as yummy as possible. When my 7th day rolls around I know this chili will be a welcomed change.
Thanks again for your time and energy. I am really enjoying your blog!
Happy Blogging,
Janet R
Hi Janet, I’ll take a look at it! Meanwhile you can add 1/2 tsp oregano to your chili if you like!
I love chili and I was a bit skeptical of making this at first but I really wanted to do your 3 Day Keto menu plan and soooo happy I did because this was the bomb! I really enjoyed how genius of you to add salsa I would have never thought to do that. Yummy! The only difference is my husband does not like cumin and I did not have any coriander so I just used Chili powder in place of it and it was perfect! Thank you!!
Can someone steer me towards where to find the 3 Day Keto plan ya’ll are mentioning, please and thank you.
Here it is: http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2014/01/3-day-keto-kickstart-menu-plan.html
Just starting to test the water with this keto diet stuff and this is one of the first things we’ll be making. I popped the recipie into MyFitnessPal, though, and the cals per serving come to only 169! I’ve double checked it and can’t seem to find any errors. How did you figure your calories? Perhaps with garnishes like avocado, sour cream, cheese, etc?
Thanks!
Made this last night with great success. I gently roasted some red and yellow peppers cut in half (just 10 min at 400 to soften them a little, not char them), then served the chili over the peppers (a lot of chili, not just what would fit inside them! Then we had cheese and sour cream on top (I had avocado but forgot to put it out!). This was so tasty, and everybody loved it. And sooo quick — even though I’m retired and (supposedly) lie around all day, I’m crazy about tasty meals that can be made quickly —
I’ve made this recipe so many times and absolutely love it. I’m moving out of my apartment this week so needed to use up some things, so I used taco seasoning and with my serving that I’m currently eating (I craved it for breakfast okay, don’t judge me haha) I adde a chopped up hot dog from when my brother was here. It tastes SO good. I do prefer it with your spices as above, but the taco seasoning is a nice and more mild option that even my fussy brother might enjoy eating. I usually add chilli flakes as well for some extra zing
Could I make this with the Morningstar crumbles?
Delicious!!! I topped mine with cheese and sour cream. Definitely making this again soon.
As a native Texan, I cannot publicly condone this. However, as a tired wife after a long work week, we LOVED this. Can’t wait for different flavor profiles. We used Native Texan Chipolte salsa and it was incredible with sharp cheddar and sour cream. Going into my week night rotation!
Tried this today and it was delicious! I’m going to toast up some low-carb tortillas and try making nachos with the mixture.
Made this on Sunday for lunch this week – awesome! Thank you!
Just made this yesterday. It was awesome! Thanks for the salsa tip!
I saw chili and my heart leapt thinking I could have beans…alas no :-( but I am still making it tonight for my family, will scoop mine out then add beans to the rest of the batch to please my boys…thanks for the 3 day plan, I am 1 2/3 days done!
How big are the servings? Thanks.
I just divide it into four portions – never measured it before. Probably about 1 cup – depends on how much liquid is in it!
DELICIOUS! But 4 servings? Not eating half of this would be a challenge! ;)
So true Cynthia! When I serve it with cheese, sour cream, avocado, and eat it with pork rinds, a little goes a long way! Otherwise, yeah I could pretty much eat all of it in one sitting! :)
Im on day 3 of Ketosis, and thanks to your site, it’s not difficult at all this time around! I just made the chili, and made “tacos” out of romaine leaves. Topped it with cheese, sour cream and avocado. WOW what a treat! Thank you for all the hard work you put forth into making this site!
You’re so welcome April! I’m so happy that the plans are helping you!
LOVE THIS IDEA! Thank you!
I just ate a big bowl of yum. Thank you!
You’re so welcome Andrea, I wish I had some right now! :)
This is one of those “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this” recipes. Who would have thought something so simple would be so good. I’ve made this twice now and will definity be making it more. Thanks, Melissa!
You’re so welcome Elissa – I still eat this ALL the time and love how fast it comes together!!! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
I’m currently doing the Keto Kickstart and this is DELICIOUS! Actually EVERYTHING is delicious!!! But my house has smelled like cream cheese pancakes for days :)
Thanks so much Jill, hope you’re having great success with the plans!
Is this good if you store it in the fridge and reheat for later? I’m trying to make all my keto meals for the week in advance, because I’m too lazy to cook everyday. :) I just know some foods don’t do well with reheating.
This is a great one for reheating Nicole, I do it all the time! It also freezes well! Enjoy!
Thanks heaps for this recipe, Mellissa, another big succes! I gave my husband half of the mince I cooked, he wanted beans, so I added some kidney beans and he ate it with a tomato salsa with onion and cilantro and sour cream and cheese and I shredded 1/2 a baby cos lettuce in a bowl, put the chili on top with cheese and sour cream and the tomato salsa and ot was amazing, can’t believe it only took 10 minutes to make!
Do you have a recipe for the chili stuffed peppers?
They look great!
Thanks!
Make the chili, stuff the peppers, throw some cheese on top and bake or broil until the cheese is melted – super easy!
This was really easy and really tasty!
I served it taco salad-style, over mixed greens with southwest ranch dressing.
Thanks!
I just made this and it’s genius! I work long days and love cooking but at the end of the day have zero energy to chop lots of things. I tweaked the recipe a bit and added a tablespoon of reduced sugar ketchup and 1/4 cup hot sauce. Such a great quick dinner at the end of a long, long work day!
Good idea Lisa, sounds yummy!
This would be brilliant for days like I’m having today: pyjamas @ 6 pm.
Dude!? You too?! Seriously though, some of my most productive days are spent in PJ’s or yoga pants, so no judgement here! I do however draw the line at going to Walmart in them. A girl’s gotta have her standards.
This is exactly what I do! I actually discovered it by accident. I was going more for a taco meat sort of thing and added in the salsa, and I realized it was more like chili! I would normally top it with cheese, but I’m currently doing a Whole30, and have discovered that avocado is an amazing topping for chili. Try adding a bit of dried oregano–I find that the combination with cumin gives a perfect Mexican flavor.
Doing the Whole 30 is what got me using avocado on my chili too Katey – it’s so good! I’ll try the oregano next time, thanks for the tip!
Hi Melissa, I was wondering. Is there something else you could include if you don’t like salsa? Or would it still be good for the 3 day kick start without? Maybe with some spinach on the side?
I believe you could use rotel tomatoes
Rotel sounds like a very good idea.
I love these kinds of recipes, quick, healthy and delicious!
I am a die hard chili fan and I absolutely love this! I have made it twice this week, once for dinner then another batch for two lunches! Wonderful, thanks!