Over the years, I started eating less and less pasta. And when I started eating mostly paleo I pretty much swap all pasta for zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. I still missed the pasta but didn’t really feel like it was adding anything to my diet except a bunch of calories and carbs. Until I tried the Ancient Harvest Veggie Pasta, they are made with green lentils, spinach, kale and cauliflower and they are sooo good! Even my husband who never eats pasta can go through a whole box of pasta in one sitting.
The first time I put some on the table for the kids, I just said that they were gluten-free since one of our kids is celiac and I wanted to confirm that it was safe for him to have. So the kids decided to try them and they really liked the pasta so the started negotiating on who could have more and how they should split it up equally.
In this series, we are adding this veggie pasta to “traditional” family dinners. In this recipe, I’m serving veggie pasta instead of bread or corn tortillas to go with the chili.
Beef Chili with Grain-Free Veggie Penne Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box Ancient Harvest Veggie Penne Pasta cooked according to the directions on the packaging
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 cups yellow onions chopped
- 2 red bell peppers seeded & diced
- 2 yellow bell peppers seeded & diced
- 2 orange bell peppers seeded & diced
- 2 lbs. ground beef 92% lean
- 2 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 cup chicken bone broth
- 2-3 tbsptomato paste
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1-2 bay leaf
- 2 ½ tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tspsweet paprika
- ½ tsp mild curry powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Place the avocado oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion & both bell peppers & cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is softened.
- Add the beef & sauté until browned, about 10 minutes more.
- With a wooden spoon break the ground meat so you don’t have big chunks of meat.
- Drain the fat from the pan & return the pan to medium-high heat.
- Add the tomatoes & their juice, bone broth, tomato paste, all the spices and stir together.
- Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low.
- Simmer for 45 minutes. Adjust salt to taste.
- Serve with Ancient Harvest Veggie Penne Pasta
- And green onions, cilantro, avocado, sharp cheddar, sour cream, and any of your favorite toppings!
