Low-FODMAP Chili

A low FODMAP chili with ground beef, rinsed canned lentils, red bell pepper, carrots, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika.

Prep 15 min

Cook 1 hr

Serves 6

Gluten-free

Ingredients

Chili

• 3 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil
• 1/2 cup scallion greens, thinly sliced (green tops only)
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced (about 150 g total)
• 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) ground beef (85/15)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons plain chili powder (check that it doesn't list onion or garlic)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) canned diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups (276 g) canned lentils, thoroughly rinsed and drained
• 2 cups water or low-FODMAP broth
• 1 bay leaf

To Serve

• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup (about 55 g) shredded cheddar, divided among the bowls
• 1/2 cup lactose-free sour cream

Instructions

Sweat the Vegetables

1. Warm the garlic-infused oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat.
2. Add the scallion greens, carrots, and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 6 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables soften and the pepper loses its raw edge.

Brown the Beef

1. Push the vegetables to one side. Add the ground beef to the open space and break it apart with a wooden spoon.
2. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the beef is browned and any liquid has cooked off.

Bloom the Spices

1. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant and coat the meat.
2. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until it darkens.

Simmer

1. Stir in the diced tomatoes, rinsed lentils, water, and bay leaf. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
2. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cook uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the chili thickens and tastes more blended. Add a splash of water if it tightens too much.
3. Fish out the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Serve

1. Divide the chili into 6 bowls. Top each with a squeeze of lime, a scatter of cilantro, shredded cheddar, and a spoonful of lactose-free sour cream.

Tips & Substitutions

• Rinse the lentils really well. Canned lentils are low at about ⅓ cup (65g) per serving after a thorough rinse under cold running water for at least 30 seconds. The 276 g here is about 46 g per bowl across 6, under that serve.
• Do not swap in black, kidney, or pinto beans. Their low-FODMAP serves are small and vary by bean, so they don't fit a chili portion. Rinsed canned chickpeas at about ⅓ cup (80g) per serving are the simplest swap.
• Use a plain chili powder blend. Many supermarket chili powders include onion or garlic powder, so the label should list only ground chilies, cumin, paprika, oregano and salt. If in doubt, mix your own from ground chilies plus the spices already in this recipe.
• Keep the red bell pepper measured. Monash lists red bell pepper as low-FODMAP at 43 g per serving; one medium pepper (about 150 g) across 6 bowls is about 25 g each. Canned tomatoes stay low too, at 1/4 cup per bowl.
• Use water or a low-FODMAP broth. Most supermarket broths contain onion and garlic, so use water, a certified low-FODMAP broth, or homemade stock without them. Use strained garlic-infused oil, not oil with garlic pieces in it.
• Leaner beef and freezing. Use 90/10 ground beef if you prefer a leaner chili. It freezes in 2-cup portions for up to 3 months. Leftovers also make a topping for a loaded baked potato.

Why This Works

Rinsed canned lentils at 1/4 cup per bowl. Canned lentils, rinsed and drained, are low at about ⅓ cup (65g) because the canning brine draws FODMAPs out of them. Dried lentils cooked from scratch need a smaller serve, so canned-and-rinsed suits the stated serving.

Red bell pepper, carrots, and scallion greens replace the onion base. A traditional chili starts with onion and garlic, both high-FODMAP. Measured red pepper, carrots and scallion greens cover the same sweet-aromatic role, and the garlic-infused olive oil carries the garlic flavor without the fructans.

Plain ground beef and bloomed spices. Unseasoned ground beef has no FODMAPs, while taco blends and most sausage meat include onion or garlic powder. Blooming the chili powder, cumin, paprika and oregano in the fat for a minute pulls out more flavor.

Measured dairy toppings. Lactose-free sour cream is low at a spoonful, and hard cheddar is low in lactose; the 1/2 cup (about 55 g) of cheddar here comes to about 9 g per bowl.

Storage

Refrigerate the chili in a sealed container for up to 4 days. The flavor deepens overnight, so day-two leftovers are often better than the first bowl. Freeze in 2-cup portions for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge or reheat straight from frozen over low heat with a splash of water. Add fresh toppings (lime, cilantro, cheddar, sour cream) at serve time, since they don't keep well mixed in. Reheat to 165°F (74°C).