This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure for more information.

When I was growing up, my dad always made a big pot of chili once it got cold. He actually won a neighborhood contest for it once! Filled to the top of the massive stockpot with meat, beans, spices, and tomatoes, it was delicious… and, once I realized nightshades were exacerbating my health problems, off-limits.

I needed a nightshade-free chili, even though the name “chili” itself is a nightshade! I knew it wouldn’t be easy to find something similar that omits half the key ingredients.

I wasn’t going to let that stop me, though! Instead of swearing off eating it forever, I figured out how to make my own nightshade-free chili. It tastes like ‘regular’ chili but omits the ingredients I can’t have. Now, every fall, my dad and I both make pots of chili. They’re different, but both still good!

There are two options for this recipe: either you can use a tomato-free ‘tomato’ sauce, or a combination of carrots and sweet potatoes. The not-tomato sauce will be more tomato-y, while the root veggie option will be more autumnal and a little sweeter. Take your pick!

It’s also easily modified to be vegetarian or vegan — just use a non-meat protein and a vegetarian stock as your base.

Items Needed

• An Instant Pot or a really big stock pot
• If using Option 1 below (sweet potato and carrots), something with which you can mash or puree, like a potato masher or immersion blender
• Cooking basics: sharp knife, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

• Either:
  • Option 1: 1 large sweet potato and 4-5 carrots, OR
  • Option 2: ½ cup to 1 cup of tomato-free tomato sauce, OR
  • Option 3: Some combination of the two
• 1-2 lbs of protein (meat or meat substitute, tofu, more beans, etc.)
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 15.5 oz cans of beans or equivalent, your choice of type (I use kidney beans)
• 1-2 Tbsp of cooking fat as needed (EVOO, butter, canola, coconut, etc.)
• 4 tsp each: coriander, cumin, ground pepper
• 1 Tbs each: dill, oregano, salt, thyme (if using ground herbs, use ½ Tbs instead)
• Any other items you may want to add — mushrooms, corn, grains, other vegetables, and so on
• 8 cups or so of liquid (check that it’s nightshade-free if you’re buying it since not all commercial broth/stock is!)

Instructions

1. If you’re using Option 1: Chop up sweet potatoes and carrots into chunks and boil them until very soft. Generally ~20 mins. If you’d like, reserve the cooking water to use as part of your 8 cups of liquid for the broth. Once they’re done, remove from water and mash or puree them, depending on your preferred texture.
2. If your protein requires cooking (for example, meat): Cook as you usually would. (I usually cook it in the base of my pot so I’ve only got one thing to clean, but you can cook it in a pan if you want.)
3. Using a tablespoon of cooking fat, sauté onions in the pot until soft and starting to brown, then add in garlic and sauté for another thirty seconds or so (don’t burn it!).  Note: If your protein releases fat, you can cook the onions in the fat it releases! 
4. Add your protein and mashed veggies or tomato-free sauce to the pot. 
5. Add all the other ingredients to the pot and stir. 
6. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for an hour or so. 
7. Serve hot with your choice of add-ins.