Chili is a labor of love, or everyone expects it to be. To get that delicious, warm, comforting flavor, you need to spend hours simmering all your flavors together, but who has hours? This Chili is still packed with flavor but takes less than 30 minutes to throw together, and each 400-calorie serving has 18 grams of fiber and 36 grams of protein! One serving also has 108% of your daily iron and almost 20% of your daily potassium.

So how do we pack in plenty of flavors, and trick our loving families into thinking we've slaved over this for them? Well, I have a few tricks.

Cinnamon

A tiny pinch of cinnamon brings so much warmth to any dish, it's like...a comfy spice. It is always the secret ingredient, so don't skip it!

Lime Juice

Lime juice brightens this dish effortlessly, without making it necessarily taste like lime, and without removing any of the warmth and decadence!

Cornstarch

I know, I know, I feel like it's cheating using this. But you need that luscious thickness of chili without spending 8 hours simmering it, and cornstarch can do that. As my very American husband would say, "You should be able to serve it like a soup or on top of a hotdog", and while I think that saying is a weird way to convey that chili should be thick, it gets the point across.

Optional Flavor Boosters

I'm going to gloss over these quickly, but if you add any of them it will work wonders for the chili. If you add all of them your mouth will be on fire. Gochujang adds an amazing funky chili flavor, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or diced green chilies will add a more traditionally American Mexican-tasting kick. Go wild!

Serving Suggestions

I love to top chili with Greek yogurt (my favorite sour cream substitute) and a little grated cheese. Topping with Greek yogurt also makes this high-protein chili even more protein-dense. I also always suggest serving this with a carbohydrate like crackers, since carbohydrates are our body's preferred energy source (and don't make you fat, please retire that). If you're a little unconventional you can also serve it over pasta. I'm looking at you, Ohio!

Sear the Beef and Soften the Onions

Add olive oil to a pot over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and sear until golden, followed by onions, cooking until softened.

This step is important for flavor building! The beef is going to create fond on the bottom of the pan that the rest of the chili will pick up and use for flavor, and the onions are going to get sweeter and more fragrant. This is how we get the flavor going in this dish.

Deglaze the Pan and Add the Spices

Dissolve bouillon cubes in 2 cups of hot water, then add in with tomatoes, beans, spices, and garlic. Add any other flavor boosters now. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes.

When you add liquid to a pan where you've seared something, it's called deglazing. That liquid is going to pick up all of the flavors that have been building in the pan from the searing and stop them from going to waste. It's going to add so much flavor to the rest of the dish from the Maillard reaction that created the fond (the stuff leftover in the pan) and it's another reason this chili can taste like it's cooked for hours when it's only been 30 minutes! This is also the point where we add our tomatoes, beans and spices, and the optional flavor builders!

Thicken and Season

Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water, and stir into chili along with lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

As I mentioned above, cornstarch is a quick and easy way to thicken any dish, so this is where we add that! Dissolving into the water first helps avoid clumping, so no one gets any bites of cornstarch in their chili. Add your lime here, and then taste for more seasoning! High-protein chili in 30 minutes or less, done and dusted.

High Protein Chili in Under 30 Minutes Recipe

Download the recipe here

Servings: 6

Active time: 30 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Chili

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 diced onions
• 3 14-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
• 2 14-ounce cans of low-sodium kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 3 bouillon cubes
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup lime juice

Optional Flavor Boosters

• gochujang
• chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• diced green chilies

For Serving

• greek yogurt or sour cream
• grated cheese
• crackers

Method:

1. Add olive oil to a pot over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and sear until golden, followed by onions, cooking until softened.
2. Dissolve bouillon cubes in 2 cups of hot water, then add in with tomatoes, beans, spices, and garlic. Add any other flavor boosters now. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
3. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water, and stir into chili along with lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

See Nutrition Info

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	402
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7.7g	10%
Saturated Fat 2.2g	11%
Cholesterol 68mg	23%
Sodium 840mg	37%
Total Carbohydrate 45.9g	17%
Dietary Fiber 18.1g	65%
Total Sugars 14.3g
Protein 36.9g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 223mg	17%
Iron 20mg	110%
Potassium 433mg	9%

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About the Author

Hi! I'm Alexandra, and I've been cooking and baking for about 12 years. My passion is making cheap, convenient, nutrient-dense food that still tastes amazing, and helping to perpetuate healthy eating habits without perpetuating diet culture. I want you to find recipes that make your body and your heart happy, without putting any food off limits, or making you feel guilty for loving delicious things.

By Alexandra Massengale