20 Minute Taco Chili

Steph Wagner MS, RDN

July 8, 2025

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20 Minute Taco Chili

 

Bariatric Food Coach Recipe 20 Minute Taco Chili

This 20 Minute Taco Chili recipe is easily the most used recipe in my personal kitchen from late September to early March. It’s also the most used recipe for entertaining a crowd during those months!

Because I use it often for entertaining, it’s my most asked-for recipe from family and friends and one I have passed again and again. Inside my Recipe Access and Premier Access membership – members frequently vote the 20 Minute Taco Chili recipe in the top 10 recipes on Bariatric Food Coach!

The ingredients are so simple you can easily remember them and very often you have the majority of the items on hand. If you keep taco and ranch seasoning in the house, and some canned black beans and diced tomatoes, all you need is ground beef and shredded cheese.

This recipe is packed with protein, flavor and even fiber from the beans! Once you’re cleared for solid proteins like ground beef, this recipe works in all stages after those early healing stages.

The 20 Minute Taco Chili recipe can also freeze and reheat well. I use a silicone muffin pan to freeze smaller chunks and move them to a gallon Ziploc® for individual sized meals for lunches or quick dinners.

Bariatric Food Coach Recipe 20 Minute Taco Chili

20 Minute Taco Chili

Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 157kcal
Author: Steph Wagner
6 small servings or 4 large bowls
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb 93% lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
  • 1 packet ranch seasoning
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1 (10 oz) can diced green chiles and tomatoes (ex: Rotel)
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

Stove Top

  • In the bottom of a large stockpot, brown the ground beef or turkey and drain. Add ranch and taco seasoning packets and stir to combine.
  • Stir in tomatoes and black beans. Turn heat to low and let simmer 10 minutes. Serve. (Optional toppings: Greek Yogurt in place of sour cream, 2% shredded cheddar cheese or sliced, canned jalapenos)

Instant Pot

  • Select Saute function on the Instant Pot. Add 1 tsp olive oil and ground beef (or turkey). Brown and drain.
  • Add ranch and taco seasoning to the meat and stir. Add tomatoes/chiles and black beans. Add a half cup of water to keep liquid content high enough for pressure cooking.
  • Place lid on the pot and move valve to the sealed position. Select high pressure for 3 minutes. Allow to release 10 minutes.
  • Move valve to venting position, keeping face away and covering with kitchen towel if needed. Use a slotted spoon to scoop chili into bowls and maintain a thick chili which fills up the post-op pouch on a smaller portion and maintains fullness longer.

Nutrition

Serving: 5oz | Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 871mg | Potassium: 244mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 547IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition Facts
20 Minute Taco Chili
Amount Per Serving (5 oz)
Calories 157 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 0.5g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 49mg16%
Sodium 871mg38%
Potassium 244mg7%
Carbohydrates 6g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 547IU11%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 9mg1%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

14 thoughts on “20 Minute Taco Chili”

  1. Steph, this chili is AMAZING! I made it last night and will definitely be making it again.

  2. Making it without the beans because I can’t have those yet. Do you know the amount of carbs without the beans?

  3. @Cynthia it would take the carbs down to 6 grams a serving although the servings would be smaller without the beans. I would say it would be more like 4 servings for this recipe instead of 6 when you take out the beans. So in that case it would be 8 grams of carbs per serving for 1/4 of the recipe. I used MyFitnessPal to find that info and it was easy to do! If you go to MyFitnessPal and log in (free) then click food, then recipes you can copy and paste the URL and delete the ingredient you want then calculate the nutrition!

  4. 5 stars
    I made this to stuff green bell peppers and omg this will be my go to from now on for stuffed bell peppers… I used ground turkey in mine.

  5. Serving sizes would have to be six ounces to get 6 servings. I have over double that with three ounce servings.

  6. Oh great comment Marissa! I often make it with half a can of beans but put a whole can in the recipe which may be the discrepancy. It does freeze well if you have more than you need! I do recommend journaling what you cooked and ate in a smart food journal for the most accurate numbers.

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