Low‑carb beef chilli with cauliflower rice
Low‑carb beef chilli with riced cauliflower: smoky, comforting and hearty without the carbs. Ready in about 1 hour, feeds 4.
This low‑carb chilli keeps all the smoky, comforting flavours you'd expect from a classic chilli con carne but swaps out rice for riced cauliflower to slash the carbs. It's the sort of dish that's family‑friendly, freezer‑friendly and still feels like proper comfort food.
Make it on a weeknight when you want big flavour without reaching for carbs. The unsweetened cocoa and a splash of red wine vinegar add depth and brightness — tiny tricks that make this feel grown‑up and rich without extra starch.
Ingredients
- 500 g beef mince
- 15 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves — crushed
- 1 red pepper — diced
- 1 green pepper — diced
- 1 courgette — diced
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 30 ml tomato purée
- 250 ml beef stock — made with low‑salt stock cube or stock
- 10 ml ground cumin
- 10 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml chilli powder — use 2 tsp for more heat
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 ml unsweetened cocoa powder — adds depth — optional but recommended
- 5 ml sea salt — plus extra to taste
- 5 ml ground black pepper
- 15 ml red wine vinegar — adds brightness
- 600 g cauliflower — broken into florets for ricing
- 15 g butter — for frying the cauliflower rice
- 80 g grated cheddar — for serving
- 100 g soured cream — for serving
- 15 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped, for garnish
- 1 lime — cut into wedges, for serving
Equipment
- food processor or box grater
Instructions
Prep everything: finely chop the brown onion; crush the garlic; dice the red pepper, green pepper and courgette; break the cauliflower into florets and set to one side.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the brown onion and cook, stirring, until translucent — about 5 minutes. Add the garlic for the final 30 seconds so it doesn't burn.
Increase the heat to medium‑high and add the beef mince. Break it up with a wooden spoon and brown thoroughly — about 8 minutes — so you get good caramelisation.
Stir in the diced red pepper, green pepper and courgette with the ground cumin, smoked paprika, chilli powder and dried oregano. Cook for 5 minutes until the veg starts to soften and the spices smell fragrant.
Add the tinned chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, beef stock and unsweetened cocoa powder. Stir in the sea salt, ground black pepper and red wine vinegar. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 25 minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavours.
While the chilli simmers, make the cauliflower rice: pulse the florets in a food processor to a rice‑like texture (or grate on a box grater). Heat the butter in a separate frying pan, add the riced cauliflower and a pinch of sea salt and fry for 5–6 minutes until just tender but still with a little bite.
Turn off the heat and leave the chilli to rest for 5 minutes to let the flavours settle. Taste and adjust seasoning with extra sea salt or black pepper if needed.
Serve the chilli spooned over the cauliflower rice. Top with grated cheddar, a dollop of soured cream, a sprinkle of fresh coriander and a lime wedge to squeeze over.
Tips
- Brown the mince well for maximum flavour; if your pan is small brown in two batches rather than crowding.
- Rice the cauliflower in a food processor for speed — pulse briefly to avoid it turning to purée.
- Make a day ahead: chilli flavours improve overnight. Reheat gently and add a splash of water or stock if it’s too thick.
- Freeze leftovers in portion pots for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- If you want a saucier chilli, add an extra 100 ml beef stock during the simmer and reduce more slowly.
Substitutions
beef mince → turkey mince, same weight
Noticeably differentcauliflower → broccoli florets pulsed into rice, same weight
Stays closesoured cream → full‑fat Greek yoghurt, same quantity
Stays closegrated cheddar → mature cheddar or Monterey Jack, same quantity
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 510
- Calories
- 37 g
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 600 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Is this recipe suitable for a ketogenic diet?
Yes — at roughly 19 g total carbs per serving it fits a low‑carb plan. For stricter keto lower the peppers or omit the tomato purée to reduce carbs further.
Can I make this in one pan?
Yes: you can fry the cauliflower rice first, remove it, then use the same pan for the chilli. Just wipe excess crumbs and add a little more oil before browning the mince.
How can I make it spicier or milder?
Increase the chilli powder or add a chopped fresh chilli to make it hotter. To tone down heat use ½ tsp chilli powder and remove any seeds from fresh chillies.
Can I freeze the chilli?
Absolutely — cool completely and freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Freeze cauliflower rice separately if you prefer to keep texture fresher.
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