Chili is a hearty stew that can be easily made without the top 8 allergens as long as you take care to read labels for hidden ingredients in canned goods. It truly is a nutrient dense one-pot wonder that provides protein, vegetables, and lots of fiber!
Chili is one of my favorite dinners to make because it’s quick and easy and it can be made ahead of time and left to simmer until it’s time to eat (in fact, the longer it simmers, the better it is!) Plus, it is packed with nutrition! In one pot you’ve got a balanced meal that includes protein and vegetables and the beans are a great source of fiber.
But the best part about chili is that it doesn’t require ingredients from a specialty food store. With that said, reading food labels carefully is important as there can be sneaky allergens in some of the ingredients.
Seasoned chili beans often have wheat in them so I tend to use plain kidney beans and add seasonings myself. That also works well for my kids because they can’t handle a lot of heat and sometimes the chili beans are too spicy for them.
Broth can also contain wheat so be sure to choose a gluten free broth if you’re following a wheat/gluten free diet.
If you would like to lighten up this dish a bit, try swapping ground turkey for the ground beef. We like chili with a few tortilla chips on top and some chopped green olives…is that weird? However you like it, enjoy!

Chili is a hearty dish that is nutrition packed! This recipe is dairy, egg, soy, wheat/gluten, peanut, tree nut, fish, and shellfish free.
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 med. onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 stalk of celery chopped
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
- 1 8 oz can tomato sauce +1 can water
- 2 16 oz cans dark red kidney beans, drained
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 T. chili powder
- 1 bay leaf
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In a stockpot, brown the hamburger on medium high heat. Drain fat. Add the onion, garlic and celery; cook until tender. Add salt and pepper and beef broth. Stir scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all of the beef bits. Add the tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce and water, kidney beans, black beans, spices and bay leaf. Stir to combine all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least one hour. Remove bay leaf. Serve with corn tortilla chips.
Nutrition Facts: Serving size: 1 cup, calories: 196, fat calories: 74, total fat: 8.5 grams, saturated fat: 3.4 g, cholesterol: 21.4 g, sodium: 618 mg, total carbs: 19, fiber: 7.5 g,sugar: 2.4 g, protein: 11.4 g
I need an allergan free chili recipe but also no cumin /mustard as child has these allergies also. What substitute would you use for cumin? chili powder? and what amounts?
thank you
Hi!
I would just omit the cumin – it will still taste good without it. Enjoy!