Reading Time: 4 minutesAt the end of a busy summer day, it’s nice to sit down to a satisfying meal. For me, there’s nothing quite like the ease and flavor of eating a warm bowl of chili while sitting on the patio and watching the sun go down. But you do have to make the chili, and on a hot day there’s nothing less appealing than having the stove going for hours and being trapped indoors.
This is where the pressure cooker comes into play, specifically the counter-top version. I fell in love with my Instant Pot a few years ago and use it nearly every day now. If you have a traditional pressure cooker, you can follow this pressure cooker paleo chili recipe, too, and still take way less time than the old-fashioned way of making chili.
I pretty much put everything in the Instant Pot these days.
As written, this spice-filled and bean-free version of pressure cooker paleo chili is tasty, hearty, and friendly on the digestive system, but if you love beans, I’ve also included directions on how to easily add those in.
The spice mix is the key to this recipe.
Since the only things you need to prep for this recipe are the onion and the bell pepper, you can get this chili going in no time at all — and then just let it do it’s thing. Oh, and since you can saute right in your pressure cooker, it keeps the post-dinner clean-up to a minimum, as well!
The only veggies you need to chop — this recipe is quick and easy!
No-Sweat Pressure Cooker Paleo Chili
This spice-filled and bean-free version of chili is tasty, hearty, and friendly on the digestive system, but if you love beans, I’ve also included directions on how to easily add those in.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2-3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- Sprinkle of red pepper flakes optional
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Instructions
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Heat the oil or butter in the pressure cooker pot on the saute setting if you are using an Instant Pot or on medium heat with a traditional pressure cooker. Once the oil or butter is hot, add the onions and bell pepper. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
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Add the ground beef, stir in with the onions and bell pepper.
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Once you've got the meat broken up into smaller chunks, then add all the spices listed from salt through red pepper flakes, and stir into the mix.
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Continue to cook, stirring often and breaking the meat into smaller chunks, until the beef loses its pink color, about 5 minutes. The spices will make it a little hard to tell if the meat is pink or not, so err on the side of making sure it's cooked.
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Stir the crushed tomatoes into the pot. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and bring up to high pressure. Reduce the heat to maintain the pressure, and cook at high pressure for 12 minutes in a stove top cooker or 15 minutes in an electric cooker. Turn off the heat and let the pressure come down naturally before you open the pressure cooker.
Recipe Notes
If your body is good with beans, you can add them to this recipe. Pinto beans are compliant on the Kickstart and Lifestyle levels. I recommend buying dried beans and soaking them for at least six hours and rinsing them a few times. Use one pound of beans and add them along with the tomatoes in step four. You will want to add chicken stock, as well — add 1 to 1.5 cups depending on how thick you like your chili.
Other things you could try:
- Swap out half the ground meat for cubed stew meat.
- Use whatever pre-cooked shredded meat you have on hand — leftover barbecue makes great chili!
- Add diced carrots, parsnips, or cubed sweet potatoes (use the white kind as they are firmer).
- Use fire-roasted or spicy tomatoes instead of plain.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro, avocado, and/or jicama sticks.
In 2005, she became a student at CrossFit Los Angeles where she met WLC co-founders Andy Petranek and Michael Stanwyck. In only a couple years, she became CrossFit Level III Certified, left her entertainment career, and dedicated herself full time to coaching, serving as the Program Director of CFLA and founder of the CFLA CrossFit Kids program. After seven years as a music editor and then eight years as fitness instructor, Becca segued to her current career — full-time editor and writer.
