Nightshade-Free AIP chili made with ground turkey, pumpkin puree, ginger, vegetables and more. This bean-less chili recipe is low-inflammatory, easy to prepare, and so comforting!
If you follow an Autoimmune Paleo diet (AIP), or are cognizant of the amount of inflammatory foods you eat, this chili recipe will please you silly!
It has that same comforting, filling essence as regular chili, but is made nightshade-free and bean-less.
This low-inflammatory rendition of chili hits your essential macronutrients and leaves you feeling so pleasantly full.
For anyone who enjoys a clean, home-cooked meal, this AIP chili recipe is fantastic! You don’t need to follow a strict diet like AIP, paleo, or Whole30 in order to enjoy this delicious chili recipe!
It is guaranteed to please all the palates.
So what do we need to do in order to make chili AIP-friendly? WELL…
How to Make Chili AIP-friendly:
Nightshades like chilies, tomatoes, and bell peppers provide a mild heat, tang, and acidity in chili.
In order to replace them and still make a chili that’s nice and thick and flavorful, with the sweet tang, I use pureed pumpkin, ginger, a lot of dried herbs, onion, garlic, lemon juice, and coconut aminos.
When all is cooked together, you still end up with a chili that has a natural sweetness, a tiny kick, big bold flavor, and that tang.
Other ingredients you can use to make an AIP chili are beet puree (for thickness, sweetness, and color), cider vinegar (to mimic the acidity of tomatoes), and nutritional yeast (for cheesy/creamy flavor).
Because beans can be pro-inflammatory and are usually avoided on AIP, Paleo, and Whole30, we replace them with chopped veggies.
I use carrots, zucchini and yellow squash, but you can choose any low-inflammatory (AIP-friendly) vegetable you would like.
So let’s make this recipe!
How to Make Nightshade-Free AIP Chili:
Heat the avocado oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it has softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and carrots and continue sautéing another 2 minutes.
Scoot the vegetables off to one side of the pot and add the ground turkey, ginger, oregano, basil, parsley, turmeric, and sea salt. Brown the turkey for 2 to 3 minutes, flip, then brown on the other side for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the meat into smaller pieces and stir it into the vegetables.
Add the remaining ingredients, cover the pot and bring to a full boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, until the vegetables have reached desired done-ness and the turkey is cooked through.
Serve chili with fresh chopped parsley, chives, and/or your choice of toppings.
Is This Recipe Low-FODMAP?:
As you know, I discuss gut health quite a bit on this site, and the majority of the recipes I make are Low-FODMAP. This recipe is not low-FODMAP due to the onion and garlic.
The onion and garlic are pretty pivotal when it comes to providing flavor to this recipe, since we are already omitting tomatoes, bell peppers, and chilies.
If you follow a Low-FODMAP diet, you may certainly omit the onion and garlic and add something else to replace the tang, such as 2 to 3 tablespoons of dijon mustard (if you don’t follow a strict AIP diet, as mustard is not allowed on AIP), more lemon juice, and/or cider vinegar.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Make recipe Low-FODMAP by omitting the onion and garlic.
- Replace the canned pumpkin with two cups mashed butternut squash and/or mashed/pureed beet.
- Add more onion, garlic, lemon juice, etc to taste.
- Replace the ground turkey with ground beef, pork or chicken.
- Add your favorite vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, celery, parsnips, turnips, celeriac, or bok choy.
More AIP Recipes:
- AIP Salmon Curry
- Nighshade-Free AIP Curry
- Turkey, Beet, and Zucchini Hash
- Zucchini and Ground Turkey Skillet
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
Enjoy this big bowl of protein and veggie bliss!
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If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, or cooking oil of choice
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 Tbsp minced ginger
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 2 small yellow squash, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini squash, chopped
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos, optional
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until it has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and continue sauteing another 2 minutes.
- Scoot the vegetables off to one side of the pot and add the ground turkey, ginger, oregano, basil, parsley, turmeric, and sea salt. Brown the turkey for 2 to 3 minutes, flip, then brown on the other side for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the meat into smaller pieces and stir it into the vegetables.
- Add the remaining ingredients, cover the pot and bring to a full boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, until the vegetables have reached desired done-ness and the turkey is cooked through.
- Serve chili with fresh chopped parsley, chives, and/or your choice of toppings.
Tara
Sunday 28th of January 2024
This has become such a go to meal for my family!! I use whatever veggies I have on hand, usually ends up being carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, cauliflower this time of year and use my own bone broth and it’s truly the most comforting thing! I’ve made it for others and everyone asks for the recipe! Thank you SO much for sharing this!!!
Julia
Tuesday 30th of January 2024
My pleasure, Tara! Thank you for the sweet note! I'm thrilled you and your family enjoy it :) I love the idea of adding cauliflower and parsnips - I'll try this too! xo
Suzanne
Saturday 4th of November 2023
This recipe wowed the whole family! My husband and my dad both chose this over the "regular" chili made for the kids. I am not AIP, but I can't have nightshade, and this recipe was the perfect comforting bowl of chili on a cold fall evening. I am already looking forward the the next time I make this!
Julia
Wednesday 8th of November 2023
I'm so happy to hear you and your family enjoy the chili, Suzanne! I find it tastes so similar to regular chili too and just love the flavor and texture. So thrilled you all feel the same and that you plan on making it again! This always feels like a win for me! :) xo
Nikki
Tuesday 31st of October 2023
Vegetarian here, so I omit the meat and add beans. otherwise I follow the recipe. My whole family enjoys this and I have made it for the past few Halloween nights to share with friends. My family asks if I will make it again so here I am making it again right now for Halloween!
Julia
Wednesday 1st of November 2023
I'm so happy to hear you and your family enjoy the recipe with beans instead of meat :) This is helpful to others who want to try the same thing. Thanks for sharing, Nikki!
Kathleen
Friday 7th of July 2023
My family really enjoyed this. It reminded me of an AIP version of albondigas soup. I'm thinking of shaping the meat into meatballs next time, to be even more reminiscent of the meatballs soup I've missed since doing the AIP.
Julia
Monday 10th of July 2023
Ooh I love the idea of making AIP Albondigas Soup! Sounds delightful! Happy to hear your family enjoys the recipe xo
Jackie
Tuesday 21st of March 2023
This is delicious! I just started the AIP diet and this is so satisfying. I made a couple vegetable substitutions based on what I had on hand. Thank you for the recipe!
Julia
Friday 24th of March 2023
That's exactly how I felt when I was eating an AIP-ish diet - I found this curry to be so comforting! I'm so happy you enjoy the recipe, Jackie! xo :)