Long time no see! Portland has had unusual winter weather for the end of February, so I knew I had to make this Paleo Chorizo Chili.
And honestly, ‘unusual’ might be a light way of putting it. Since I’m a California girl, snow days are novelties for me! It’s great the first day, but after that it starts to get a little old. Am I right?!
I can’t sleep with the heater on (it gets too hot!) so we were waking up to a freezing cold house every day. Think 56 degrees – that’s gross! I knew I wanted to make something warming and comforting, and since we have had a mild winter up until now, I hadn’t had any desire to make chili. SO – I had to take advantage before the winter weather was gone!
But I didn’t want to make just any chili. Usually recipes for chili (even paleo recipes!) have a small amount of vegetables – and typically, you find vegetables like bell peppers. I really wanted a chili that was using more seasonal produce that I could find at my local co-op or through my CSA. This chili is still tomato based, cause you really can’t have chili without tomatoes! Sorry! I know it’s not seasonal right now. But instead of bell peppers, I included mushrooms, carrots and spinach.
Please believe me when I tell you this is the BEST chili I have ever made. It was so perfect and exactly what I needed to keep me warm and comforted. It’s just a tiny bit spicy and is absolutely teeming with flavor. I used chorizo, but any type of plain ground meat would still be incredibly delicious.
The absolute best part about this dish is you can accomplish the explosion of flavor in just thirty minutes of simmering on the stove!
If you make this, let me know!
xo,
Jess
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 cloves of garlic (roughly 1 tablespoon)
- 2 pounds chorizo
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 pounds chorizo, casings removed
- 1 28 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 medium carrots
- 10 oz sliced white mushrooms
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 bunches of chopped spinach
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once heated, add avocado oil, then add in diced onion. Saute for five minutes until onion becomes slightly translucent. Add minced garlic and saute for about a minute, or until fragrant.
- Add chorizo to the pot. Cook until no longer pink, then add tomato paste and all spices and saute an additional two minutes.
- Add the can of diced tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms and beef stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, then put the lid on and adjust heat to low. Simmer on low for thirty minutes.
- Stir in chopped spinach until wilted. Then serve!
If you can tolerate legumes, beans would be a fantastic addition!