Low-Carb Chili Cheese Veggie Fries

I asked my followers on Facebook for their favourite (not low-carb) meal. My challenge was to make a low-carb alternative chili cheese fries, an American classic. I came up with this recipe using turnips and rutabaga instead of potato fries. They are not the same as potatoes but good enough as a healthier low-carb alternative!

To make the fries, you could even use kohlrabi or celeriac. Turnips are slightly lower in net carbs than swede (aka rutabaga). They are commonly used in paleo diet meals. Turnips are usually smaller, have yellow & green peel and light flesh. Swede is rather large, has purple & yellow peel and orange flesh.

Step-by-step

1. Get all the ingredients you will need for the chili sauce: tomato purée, ground cumin, paprika, onion flakes, garlic powder, Xanthan gum, 1 cup of water, pepper and salt.

   

2. Grease a pan with bacon fat or lard over medium-high heat. Add mashed garlic and cook briefly (if you are not using onion flakes, add finely chopped onion and let it brown). Crumble the minced beef into the pot and cook while stirring frequently until the beef is evenly browned. Cover with a lid and turn the heat down. It's time to prepare the sauce.

   

3. In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients well and add them to the pan with the browned meat.

   

4. Add a second cup of water and boil for about 10-15 minutes.

   

5. When done, set aside.

   

6. Now, let's make the fries. Preheat the oven to 220 °C/ 430 °F (fan assisted), or 240 °C/ 465 °F (conventional).

   

7. Wash and peel the turnips and swede. Cut them into spears about 1/2 inch / 1 cm wide (or even less for crisping them up).

   

8. Drizzle a tablespoon of cooking oil of choice over them and mix well to allow the oil everywhere. Turnips and swedes tend to be hard and you will need to precook them before baking them in the oven. Simply place them in a plastic bag and microwave them for about 7 minutes.

   

9. Remove from the microwave oven and open the bag to allow the hot vapour outside. Remove the fries from the bag and place them (without any residual water) to a baking pan lined with baking sheet. Sprinkle the garlic powder (or any spices & herbs you wish) over them evenly using a sieve and spray with some olive oil. Garnish with salt and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't get burned and stir once or twice.

   

10. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Always keep in mind these fries are not the same as potato fries. They are missing the starch and they tend to get quite soggy. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheat before serving.

    

Recipe

Low-Carb Chili Cheese Veggie Fries

★★★★★4.8 (160 ratings)

Chili cheese fries made low-carb and keto!

Hands on

30m

Overall

1h

Servings

4

11.3 g

Net carbs

28.2 g

Protein

37.7 g

Fat

516

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 4 servings

• Chili sauce:
• 600 g minced beef (1.3 lb)
• 1 tbsp bacon grease or lard
• ¹/₄ cup tomato purée, unsweetened (63 g/ 2.2 oz)
• ¹/₂ tsp garlic powder
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp dried onion
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp hot chili powder
• ¹/₂ to 1 tsp xanthan gum to thicken the sauce
• 2 cups water (480 ml)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• ¹/₂ cup grated cheddar cheese to serve (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
• Fries:
• 2 large turnips or kohlrabi (350 g/ 12.3 oz)
• 1 medium swede (rutabaga) (250 g/ 8.8 oz)
• ¹/₂ tsp garlic powder or paprika
• 1 tbsp ghee, melted
• ¹/₂ tsp salt or more to taste
• oil spray (olive or coconut)

Instructions

1. Get all the ingredients you will need for the chili sauce: tomato purée, ground cumin, paprika, onion flakes, garlic powder, Xanthan gum, 1 cup of water, pepper and salt.

2. Grease a pan with bacon fat or lard over medium-high heat. Add mashed garlic and cook briefly (if you are not using onion flakes, add finely chopped onion and let it brown). Crumble the minced beef into the pot and cook while stirring frequently until the beef is evenly browned. Cover with a lid and turn the heat down. It's time to prepare the sauce.

3. In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients well and add them to the pan with the browned meat.

4. Add a second cup of water and boil for about 10-15 minutes.

5. When done, set aside.

6. Now, let's make the fries. Preheat the oven to 220 °C/ 430 °F (fan assisted), or 240 °C/ 465 °F (conventional).

7. Wash and peel the turnips and swede. Cut them into spears about 1/2 inch / 1 cm wide (or even less for crisping them up).

8. Drizzle a tablespoon of cooking oil of choice over them and mix well to allow the oil everywhere. Turnips and swedes tend to be hard and you will need to precook them before baking them in the oven. Simply place them in a plastic bag and microwave them for about 7 minutes.

9. Remove from the microwave oven and open the bag to allow the hot vapour outside. Remove the fries from the bag and place them (without any residual water) to a baking pan lined with baking sheet. Sprinkle the garlic powder (or any spices & herbs you wish) over them evenly using a sieve and spray with some olive oil. Garnish with salt and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't get burned and stir once or twice.

10. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Always keep in mind these fries are not the same as potato fries. They are missing the starch and they tend to get quite soggy. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheat before serving.

Nutrition per serving

Carbs 9%Protein 23%Fat 68% of calories

Net carbs

11.3 g

Total carbs

16.1 g

Fiber

4.8 g

Sugars

7.5 g

Protein

28.2 g

Fat

37.7 g

Saturated fat

15 g

Calories

516 kcal

Sodium

839 mg · 36.5% RDA

Magnesium

61 mg · 15.2% RDA

Potassium

923 mg · 46.1% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per serving	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Beef, minced (ground), raw, grass-fed	0 g	25.8 g	30 g	381
Bacon grease	0 g	0 g	3.3 g	29
Tomato purée (unsweetened)	1.1 g	0.3 g	0 g	6
Spices, garlic powder	0.2 g	0.1 g	0 g	1
Garlic, fresh	0.2 g	0 g	0 g	1
Onion, dried and flaked	0.9 g	0.1 g	0 g	4
Cumin, spices	0.3 g	0.1 g	0.2 g	3
Paprika, spices	0.1 g	0.1 g	0.1 g	2
Chile (chili) powder, spices (ancho, chipotle, Mexican chile powder)	0.2 g	0.2 g	0.2 g	4
Xanthan gum, thickening agent	0 g	0 g	0 g	2
Water, still	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Pepper, black, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Turnips, raw	4.1 g	0.8 g	0.1 g	25
Swede (rutabaga), fresh	3.9 g	0.7 g	0.1 g	23
Spices, garlic powder	0.2 g	0.1 g	0 g	1
Ghee	0 g	0 g	3.8 g	34
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	11.3 g	28.2 g	37.7 g	516

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free