Equipment
Ingredients
Chilli Base
- 500 g extra lean ground beef, raw
- 15 ml olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 4 garlic, minced
Spices and Liquids
- 10 g chili powder
- 5 g ground cumin
- 3 g smoked paprika
- 2 g dried oregano
- 800 g diced tomatoes, undrained
- 250 ml low sodium beef broth
Beans
- 240 g kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 240 g black beans, rinsed and drained
Cauliflower Rice
- 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
- 15 ml olive oil
- 10 g fresh cilantro, chopped
- 15 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 501 kcal
- Protein
- 43 g
- Carbohydrates
- 50 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fiber
- 17 g
- Sugar
- 15 g
- Sodium
- 688 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 78 mg
- Potassium
- 1604 mg
- Calcium
- 160 mg
- Iron
- 7.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 114 mg
- Phosphorus
- 512 mg
- Zinc
- 8.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 338 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 129 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 49 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.34 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.49 mg
- Niacin
- 9.9 mg
- Folate
- 180 mcg
- Water
- 475 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Using a chef knife and cutting board, prepare your vegetables by dicing the onion, red bell pepper, and carrot, and mincing the garlic cloves.
Heat 15ml of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and carrot to the Dutch oven. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the minced garlic to the vegetable mixture and cook until highly fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
Add the extra lean ground beef to the pot. Break the meat apart with your wooden spoon and cook until fully browned and it reaches a safe internal temperature of 74°C/165°F.
Stir the chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and dried oregano into the beef and vegetables. Cook for 1 minute to toast the spices and release their essential oils.
Pour the undrained diced tomatoes, low sodium beef broth, rinsed kidney beans, and black beans into the pot. Stir thoroughly to combine all the ingredients.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and allow it to simmer gently for 30 minutes so the flavors can fully meld.
While the chilli simmers, place the cauliflower florets into a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the cauliflower pieces are roughly the size of grains of rice.
Heat the remaining 15ml of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the processed cauliflower rice to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until it is tender but retains a slight bite.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir the chopped fresh cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice into the cauliflower rice until evenly dispersed.
Divide the cilantro-lime cauliflower rice among bowls and ladle the hot, rich chilli directly over the top.
Chef's Notes
- Mashing a small portion of the beans against the side of the pot is an excellent, starch-free way to naturally thicken your chilli without altering the flavor profile.
- Using extra lean beef drastically reduces the saturated fat content, but leaner meats dry out faster. The gentle, covered simmer in the acidic tomato broth ensures the beef remains incredibly tender.
- For the best cauliflower rice texture, thoroughly pat the florets dry before placing them in the food processor. Any surface moisture will cause the cauliflower to steam rather than sauté.
- To maintain the dairy-free profile while adding a creamy, cooling contrast to the spices, top the finished dish with fresh avocado slices or a small dollop of plain, unsweetened almond yogurt.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store chilli and cauliflower rice in separate airtight containers to prevent the rice from becoming soggy.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze the chilli only. Cauliflower rice changes texture when frozen and thawed, so it is best made fresh.
Reheating: Reheat the chilli in a saucepan over medium heat until gently bubbling. Microwave the cauliflower rice separately for 1 to 2 minutes.
Troubleshooting
Chilli is too thin and watery
Cause: The lid trapped too much moisture during the simmer, or too much broth was used.
Fix: Remove the lid and simmer over medium heat for an additional 10 to 15 minutes to reduce the liquid. Alternatively, mash a quarter cup of the beans against the side of the pot to naturally thicken the sauce.
Prevention: Ensure precise liquid measurements. If making a double batch, scale broth down slightly as evaporation rates differ.
Cauliflower rice turned into a wet mush
Cause: The cauliflower was over-processed into a paste, or steamed in its own moisture by overcooking.
Fix: Cannot be fixed texturally, but the flavor remains fine. Serve as a cauliflower mash base instead.
Prevention: Pulse the food processor in short 1-second bursts. Thoroughly pat raw cauliflower dry before processing to minimize excess water.
Cultural Context
Chilli con carne, which translates directly to peppers with meat, has deep, disputed roots in the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. It evolved as hearty, utilitarian frontier fare before becoming a beloved staple of modern Tex-Mex cuisine. By replacing the traditional white rice base with bright, herbaceous cauliflower rice, this version honors the robust, earthy spices of the original dish while aligning with contemporary low-glycemic, vegetable-forward cooking philosophies.
