12 Feb Nutrient-Dense Meals for Runners, featuring: Instant Pot Chili!

Ok so I want to preface this by saying that I’d only ever made chili out of a slow cooker until Friday. I LOVE my Instant Pot, but I was a little nervous that the flavors wouldn’t have time to marinate together in glorious 5-hour slow-cooker bliss. I WAS WRONG. This is honestly one of the best chili recipes I’ve ever made. It’s flavorful, a little spicy, hearty, and very nutrient-dense so it’s perfect for us runners. I threw a ton of veggies in mine but you wouldn’t even notice! So without further ado – because I hate when recipe blogs drag on and on before getting to the good stuff – let’s get into the recipe!

INSTANT POT CHILI: nutrient-dense meals for runners

* gluten-free * dairy-free * can be made vegan

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb gr. turkey (can sub vegan meat or gr beef, chicken)
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2-3 medium carrots, diced
• 4 tbsp. ancho chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 15-oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 can veggie broth (or chicken broth)
• 20 oz. fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen peas
• salt & pepper to taste (I also added a little Umami and cayenne because I like my chili spicy!)

TO COOK:

1. Select the “sauté” option on your Instant Pot and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add your meat option, garlic, onions, peppers, and carrots and sauté for 7-9 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

2. Add ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomato sauce, broth, fire roasted tomatoes, beans, and peas. Stir to combine. Slide lid into the locked position and make sure valve is in sealing position.

3. Cook on HIGH pressure for 16 minutes, then allow Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 20 minutes or so. Release any remaining pressure before opening lid.

4. Voila! Serve with toppings of choice! I personally topped mine with Kite Hill vegan sour cream with some gluten free bread on the side 🙂