zenbelly

recipes for real life

  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Recipes
  • House & Home

Zenbelly Chili 2.0

October 1, 2016 by zenbelly 12 Comments

This recipe for Zenbelly Chili 2.0 is one of the recipes from Paleo Soups and Stews that I’m sharing here at zenbelly.com, and it’s one of my favorites. It’s sort of a mashup of Chili Colorado, and the original Zenbelly Chili from my first book, The Zenbelly Cookbook.

zenbelly-chili-2-0-2

Zenbelly Chili 2.0

The recipe for the Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits pictured with the chili is in Paleo Soups & Stews, but my Rainy Day Biscuits are great with it as well! I love Plantain Tortillas with it too.

zenbelly chili 2.0

If you’re looking for more year round soup recipes, Definitely check out Paleo Soups and Stews! In it you’ll find recipes for every type of soup and stew you could imagine, plus lots of noodles, breads, toppers, and even some dessert soups and cookies. Because cookies.

Plus! I made sure to include slow cooker and pressure cooker instructions whenever applicable. This recipe is one of them, so make sure to check the notes for the additional instructions.

zenbelly chili 2.0

Print

Zenbelly Chili 2.0

zenbelly chili 2.0
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

  • Author: Simone Miller
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 120 minutes
  • Total Time: 135 minutes
  • Yield: 4 - 6 servings
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons lard, bacon fat, or avocado oil
  • 1 large onion, (diced)
  • 5 cloves garlic, (roughly chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, (cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 1 cup brewed coffee
  • 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons chipotle paste or chopped chipotle peppers in adobo

for serving:

  • dairy-free sour cream or sour cream
  • sliced green onions
  • sliced avocado

Instructions

  1. Heat the lard in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt, smoked paprika, and cinnamon and cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly, until very fragrant. 
  2. Add the beef, coffee, tomatoes, and chipotle paste. Stir, scraping up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. 
  3. Bring the chili to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and cook, partially covered, for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. 
  4. Serve topped with sour cream, green onions, and avocado, if desired. 

Notes

SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS: 

  1. After completing Step 2, transfer the contents to a slow cooker.
  2. Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours, or until the meat is very tender. 

PRESSURE COOKER INSTRUCTIONS: 

  1. Use just 1/2 cup of coffee and drain the juices from the tomatoes before adding them. 
  2. After completing Step 2, transfer the contents to a pressure cooker. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
  3. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before turning the valve to release the remaining pressure. 

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @zenbelly on Instagram and hashtag it #zenbelly

 


All of the links on zenbelly.com are for information purposes, however some are affiliate links to books, products or services. Any sponsored posts are clearly labelled as being sponsored content. Some ads on this site are served by ad networks and the advertised products are not necessarily recommended by Zenbelly.

Filed Under: Dinner, Beef, Essentials, Instantpot, super bowl Tagged With: paleo chili, paleo chili recipes, paleo soups and stews, zenbelly chili

« Thai Pumpkin Soup
Blackberry-Mint Arnold Palmer »

you might also like:

Comments

  1. Susan says

    October 3, 2016 at 2:25 pm

    I have Zenbelly on Kindle and I LOVE it and I live locally and hope to sometime meet you!
    This chili looks delish, and I like the beef chunks vs. ground. I love the coffee addition too.
    Two Questions:
    1) If I’m going to make this and freeze it, will it hold up? Or would you tweak anything?
    2) Would you ever add in chocolate too for a mole-ish chili? Like cacao powder or other?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • zenbellyblog says

      October 3, 2016 at 6:09 pm

      Hi Susan, Thanks! I will be doing a couple of events in the area, more on that soon! I hope you can make it to one or both of them 🙂
      1) this should freeze well as written, just make sure it’s cool before you put a lid on it and freeze it
      2) I think that would be great! I actually had to double check the recipe because I thought it was already in there! Must be another recipe I’m thinking of. But yes- caca powder or good quality chocolate would be great!

      Reply
      • Susan says

        October 5, 2016 at 12:36 pm

        Thanks Simone, that’s great!
        Yes, please keep me posted on your upcoming local events!!!

      • Susan says

        October 11, 2016 at 1:56 pm

        Decided to make your original recipe this time since I had ground meat on hand. Used 1/2 beef and 1/4 each turkey and pork. HOT, but delish! For the last bit of leftovers on day 3, I dolloped ~2T each in Siete Coconut Cassava tortillas, topped them with shredded Jack, rolled them up in a pyrex dish (spread a little of the sauce in the dish first) and then spread every last drop of sauce over the top. I topped them with more shredded Jack, drizzled crema (sour cream and milk) and pumpkin seeds, covered them with foil and warmed them in the oven for 30. Then I avocado slices on top and chopped cilantro and chives. AMAZING!!!
        I made this for a weekend in the mountains with two hungry bike riders and they could not stop eating it and gushing about it, exclaiming how it got even better each day!
        Thank you!

        I’m pre-ordering your new book on Amazon now — can’t wait!!!

      • zenbellyblog says

        October 12, 2016 at 10:32 am

        Awesome Susan, thanks! Your leftovers sound incredible!!!

  2. Amy says

    November 5, 2016 at 6:16 am

    Hi there! I am going to make this tomorrow for a family dinner. I would like to double the recipe, but always hesitate with soups and stews. Is there any ingredient I should modify if I am doubling?

    Reply
    • zenbellyblog says

      November 5, 2016 at 10:09 am

      Hi! With this, you could just double everything. The only caveat to that is if you make it in a pressure cooker; in that case, use maybe 1.5x the liquid since nothing evaporates and too much liquid could make it watered down / too liquidy. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  3. Suzanne Guest says

    October 25, 2018 at 1:46 pm

    This sounds delicious! I can’t have caffeine – what could I swap the coffee for? Thank you!

    Reply
    • zenbelly says

      October 29, 2018 at 4:35 pm

      Thanks! The coffee gives it an interesting flavor, so if you could use decaf, that would be my first choice, but if that’s not an option, I would just add more tomatoes or tomato juice along with a little but of coconut aminos or tamari

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes ~ Real Food with Dana says:
    January 2, 2019 at 1:59 pm

    […] Sweet Potato Chili | Real Food with Dana White Chicken Chili | the Real Food Dietitians Zenbelly Chili 2.0 | […]

    Reply
  2. 100+ Instant Pot Whole30 Recipes | My Heart Beets says:
    January 3, 2019 at 7:28 am

    […] Zenbelly Chili 2.0 […]

    Reply
  3. 100+ Paleo Instant Pot Recipes | My Heart Beets says:
    January 3, 2019 at 7:54 am

    […] Zenbelly Chili 2.0 […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

About Me (Hi! I’m Simone)

Hello, and Welcome! I'm so glad you're here. Why? Because my most favorite thing is to help home cooks feel like pros in their kitchens. A little about me... I've been cooking professionally for a long time - around 25 years - and ...

Read More »

Archives

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress