This amazing Light Beef Chili Recipe has become one of my staples in the winter and fall seasons.
By using extra lean ground beef (96% lean and 4% fat), and bulking the dish up with hearty vegetables, this chili comes in at just 4 Points per serving. It’s so incredibly flavorful and is loaded with fiber, protein, and Vitamin C. It’s the perfect Weight Watchers Chili Recipe to help warm you up (and fill you up!) on a chilly day.
Garnish it with some green onions or low fat cheddar cheese for even more deliciousness! I also love that this is such an easy chili recipe to make and it makes enough for lots of leftovers. Oftentimes, I will make this chili, then measure out a few individual servings and place them each in a Ziploc bag and then freeze them. That way, when I need something hot and hearty, I just have to pull one out of the freezer and heat it up. This is a LIFESAVER on days when I’m tired/cranky/busy/lazy or all of the above.
Truly, this is an awesome low calorie chili recipe that you must try.
Light Beef Chili Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef - 96% lean/4% fat
- 15 oz kidney beans - 1 can
- 1 large onion - diced
- 1 small green or yellow pepper - diced
- 1 small red bell pepper - diced
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 28 oz diced tomatoes - 1 can
- 8 oz tomato sauce - 1 can
- 1 cup strong brewed coffee
- 12 oz dark beer - 1 can
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp beef bouillon powder
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Spray a large pot or Dutch oven with non-fat cooking spray and set over medium high heat. Add in the onions and garlic and cook until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add in ground beef and cook until meat is brown.
- Add in diced bell peppers and cook another 5 minutes.
- Add in all remaining ingredients except for the kidney beans and stir.
- Bring to a simmer, then stir in beans. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and let cook about 2 hours.
10 Comments
I made this tonight. Used garbanzo beans and black beans in place of the kidney beans (all I had on hand), used a light beer and added cayenne pepper. My husband and I thought it was the best chili we have had!
I made this as written except substituted beef broth for beer (only had pumpkin and gingerbread beer on hand… ’tis the season!) and put in waaaaaay less chili powder. This was soooo watery that we actually had to strain it just to serve it. I think next time I’ll leave out the beer/broth all together and also simmer with the lid off instead of on. Good flavor, though, especially for a lightened version. (Not so light when I add cheese and sour cream, though, probably! Ha!)
Best chili I’ve ever eaten! Family loved it, too!
I make this a lot to bag up in portions for the freezer and the first time I made it I followed the recipe as directed. I had just come back from India and had brought a lot of spices with me. 3 tablespoons of hot chilli powder later I had almost burned my ears off!!
It’s a great recipe though, just be careful of the chilli powder measurements!
Would this be ok without the coffee (can’t do caffeine/don’t have it in the house) and the beer (don’t have any for dinner tonight)?
Absolutely!
If I made this without the coffee, do I need to substitute it with some other type of liquid?
This is just STUNNING!!
I made this exactly as directed, best low fat chili I’ve ever had. Thank you!
I made this tonight. It. Hit. The. Spot. Add a dollop of fat free sour cream for 0 points!!! THANKS for sharing, you rock!!!!!