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You are here: Home / COOK / Weight Watchers Freestyle Chili Recipe

January 15, 2020 By Cyn Gagen 19 Comments

Weight Watchers Freestyle Chili Recipe

Filed Under: COOK, Slow Cooker, Soups and stews, Weight Watchers Tagged With: weight watchers freestyle, zero points

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post below are affiliate links provided for your convenience. This means that if you purchase something through one of these links, I get a small commission at no added cost to you.

Trying to eat healthier? You’re going to want to add this Zero Points Weight Watchers Freestyle Chili recipe to your meal plan rotation. It’s so full of flavor and so easy to make! This recipe is versatile and inexpensive!

If you’re looking for more delicious and nutritious recipes, check out this yummy Weight Watchers Taco Soup. Bringing more of the scrumptious Mexican-inspired taste in a quick and easy recipe, this soup packs a flavor punch that’s sure to please.

Zero Points Weight Watchers Freestyle Chili Recipe

Zero Points Weight Watchers Freestyle Chili Recipe

Please note that this recipe was put together several years ago when there was the option to use the Freestyle plan and under that plan, this recipe was zero points. It may no longer be.

Whenever I think about trying to eat healthier, the first thing I do is begin obsessing by what I have to give up. So, I met with a dietitian.

She taught me some basic tips for taking family favorite recipes and making them with more nutritious ingredients. That’s what inspired me to turn my mom’s classic chili recipe into this Zero Points Weight Watchers Freestyle Chili Recipe.

Be sure to scroll down for a printable recipe and more tips including instructions for making this in your slow cooker or Instant Pot!

Serving Tips

Is it still just as good as mom’s? You bet it is. In fact, I didn’t have to change much at all. It’s mostly the meat that makes a difference in the points and calories.

Now, I do have to tell you that sometimes we had my mom’s chili as is in a bowl but other times, she served it to us “Cincinnati style”. She called it “chili-getti”.

Sometimes she served it over spaghetti, much the way you would marinara sauce. Other times she broke the spaghetti up and cooked it in the chili, kind of like chicken noodle soup.

Obviously, if you choose to do that, it will no longer be zero points. But a cup of cooked spaghetti noodles is only 5 points and you might enjoy the variation from time to time.

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Cooking Tips

This Zero Points Weight Watchers Freestyle Chili recipe is SUPER quick, easy, and inexpensive to make. Simmer it on the stove (I like at least an hour to really let the flavors meld.

It’s still good with less time and it only gets better with more). Make it in the slow cooker. Or make it in the Instant Pot – there is even a setting for it there!

Plus I always make a big batch so we can have leftovers. My family doesn’t care much for leftovers EXCEPT when it comes to this chili.

It’s freezer friendly too so I always squirrel away at least a few portions to defrost and heat up for a simple lunch option.

We usually get about 8-10 servings out of this recipe (each being about a cup and a half). It depends on how many extras and water get added to it.

I often double the recipe (don’t try this in your Instant Pot or slow cooker – they generally can’t handle that amount) so that we have plenty to put away for leftovers.

zero points weight watchers freestyle chili

Ingredient Notes:

I make mine with ground chicken because I don’t care for ground turkey. You do you. If you aren’t concerned about it being zero points, it’s also delicious made with extra lean ground beef. As a splurge, try it with 1 lb. extra lean ground beef and 1/2 lb. ground pork.

If we don’t have any onion on hand, we make it without. It’s still really good. Add a little onion powder if you’d like.

Optional ingredients:

Minced garlic:

A couple of cloves of garlic is really good in this too. Again, add it if you have it but don’t sweat it if you don’t. It’s still good without.

Diced or crushed tomatoes:

If you want it really tomatoey (new word!), you can add some canned diced or crushed tomatoes. I would leave out the water in this case as there is generally a lot of liquid in canned tomatoes.

You can always add some water as needed later on while the chili simmers. If you want to add an extra punch to the chili, use the canned tomatoes with green chilies in it.

Full disclosure – I haven’t personally tried it with the tomatoes as this would set off my food sensitivity. I have made it this way for friends though and got rave reviews.

More types of beans.

Add what you like! My family starts getting cranky if I change things up too much so we pretty much stick to this recipe but it is quite delightful with other beans as well.

If you find that you’ve added so many that the bean to meat ratio is a bit overwhelming, just experiment with quantities until you reach one that makes you happy. We like ours to be about 60% beans and 40% meat.

Peppers.

Chopped bell peppers of any color or even some jalapenos all work well in this recipe. If using these, I would add them to the onions and sauté them together.

Some people (who have a stronger taste for heat than I do!) will even garnish their bowls of chili with chopped raw jalapeno peppers. I’m shuddering at the thought of this!

Other spices that you might like in this:

Oregano, basil, thyme. I would start with 1 tsp. and then increase from there to your taste. Remember after each addition to let the chili simmer for a half an hour or so before tasting and adding more.

I don’t add these because quite frankly, it starts tasting too much like spicy spaghetti sauce for me but I have friends who really like it with these.

Lime.

I don’t add any lime juice while cooking my chili because my family doesn’t care for it. But I learned to eat it this way at a Mexican restaurant.

So now, I will squeeze a wedge of fresh lime over my bowl of chili when I want to add a punch to the flavour.

Ground chicken and turkey were never my favourite for this recipe until I tried the lime trick. It just brings it all together.

healthy chili recipe

Instructions for Slow Cooker or Instant Pot:

Slow Cooker:

My slow cooker is not great for browning meat so I usually cook the onion and meat as directed above in the stove top instructions.

Sometimes I do this the day before while cooking dinner for that night. It’s easy enough to take care of it and pop it in the fridge until morning. 

Another great make-ahead option is to cook up a bunch of ground meat and freeze it. Then you can simply pull it out to use in this chili recipe, as well as sloppy joes, tacos, and more!

Dump that into the slow cooker and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (or more).

Instant Pot:

(You can use other pressure cookers too! Just be sure to check your owner’s manual for any specific directions). The Instant Pot makes it so easy on you because it has a chili setting!

I cook the onion and ground meat using the sautéing/browning setting. Once browned, I add the rest of the ingredients.

Use the beans/chili setting and cook in your Instant Pot according to manufacturer’s instructions. I find that it takes about 30 minutes to cook in my Instant Pot but times may vary for other slow cookers by 5-10 minutes.

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Serving up leftovers:

With leftovers, we sometimes like to add a tablespoon or two of fat free sour cream and a tablespoon or two of shredded cheese to each bowl.

This is because after being in the fridge, once again those spices intensify in flavor and can be quite overwhelming. The cheese and sour cream cool things down a bit.

If you do this just be aware that each tablespoon of either the sour cream or the cheese is 1 point. But another solution for the added heat is simply to add some water or some more tomato sauce to the chili as you reheat it.

What to serve with this chili?

This is a very hearty, filling dish so you don’t need much to go with it. My friend Laura’s Jalapeno Cornbread is a great option. The flavors go beautifully with the chili!

Zero Points Freestyle Chili
3.8 from 5 votes
Print

Zero Points Weight Watchers Freestyle Chili Recipe

This Zero Points Weight Watchers Freestyle Chili recipe is SUPER quick, easy, and inexpensive to make. Simmer it on the stove (I like at least an hour to really let the flavors meld. It’s still good with less time and it only gets better with more). Make it in the slow cooker. Or make it in the Instant Pot – there is even a setting for it there!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword beans, ground meat
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 290 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 lb 99% fat free ground chicken or turkey Use an extra half pound if you like your chili meatier
  • 30 oz red kidney beans Rinse well to get rid of any extra salt if you can’t find low sodium
  • 15 oz black beans Rinse well to get rid of any extra salt if you can’t find low sodium
  • 15 oz corn
  • 15 oz tomato sauce
  • 8 oz water
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin

Instructions

  1. Using a non-stick pan or some cooking spray, saute the onion until translucent. 

  2. Add the ground meat and cook until browned. 

  3. Add the remaining ingredients. 

  4. Simmer for at least half an hour but you can just leave it on the stove on low all afternoon.

  5. If cooking for longer than half an hour, check it every so often and add more water if it’s getting too thick. 

Nutrition Facts
Zero Points Weight Watchers Freestyle Chili Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 290 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 39mg13%
Sodium 281mg12%
Potassium 1018mg29%
Carbohydrates 42g14%
Fiber 12g50%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 775IU16%
Vitamin C 7.2mg9%
Calcium 56mg6%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Looking for some more Weight Watchers friendly recipes? This website is chock full of some great ones!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janet says

    October 6, 2019 at 2:22 pm

    5 stars
    So easy and good! Perfect to take for lunch during the week. I used leftover grilled chicken but otherwise followed the directions and it was amazing. Topped it off with a little cheese….yum! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Cyn Gagen says

      November 3, 2019 at 12:21 pm

      I am so glad you liked it! That sounds really yummy with the grilled chicken in it. I’m going to try that for sure.

      Reply
  2. Kristin Pozniak says

    November 4, 2019 at 12:42 am

    This sounds delicious, but I wanted to ask about the calorie count. Is 10 servings correct? 2900 for the whole recipe sounds off. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Cyn Gagen says

      November 13, 2019 at 7:44 pm

      I don’t actually calculate the calories myself – it’s done by the recipe card app I use but it seems right to me. Obviously, there may be some people who want to make these into bigger or smaller servings but when we have it for 4 adults and 1 child, at least 2 of the adults go back for a smaller serving of seconds and then we have enough for leftovers for lunches that week. So yes, depending on our appetites that week, I could see it going anywhere from 8 to 12 servings.

      Reply
  3. Margie says

    October 29, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    5 stars
    Made it last night and the family loved it. I did it in the slow cooker. First cooked onions and ground turkey. Using the blender to blended diced tomatoes, green chili peppers, basil, oregano, thyme and the other spices. Then all into the pot and set it for 6 hrs. Before serving, squeezed lime juice to give it the touch of southwestern flavor

    Reply
    • Cyn Gagen says

      November 8, 2021 at 10:22 am

      So glad it turned out well. Love the lime juice addition!

      Reply
  4. Ed says

    June 26, 2022 at 3:10 pm

    I played with it and was great. Ate a bunch. Today I put the info in the WW app and it is now 5 POINTS! 🙁

    Reply
    • Cyn Gagen says

      June 27, 2022 at 9:56 am

      Oh no. I have heard that they changed their whole system so this is only zero points under the old Freestyle system but wow.

      Reply
  5. Sandy says

    January 14, 2024 at 7:16 pm

    Had this chili at a bunko night. It was absolutely delicious. Loved all the different types of beans in it. Will make it for myself now.

    Reply
    • Cyn Gagen says

      January 21, 2024 at 10:37 am

      I’m so glad you liked it! It’s a favorite that we have often around here.

      Reply
  6. Dawn Deering says

    March 30, 2024 at 12:51 pm

    4 stars
    I added Pinto beans & Diced tomatoes.I added my own Homemade Chili Seasoning too the chili.And I fried one pound of Ground chicken.This is a good recipe

    Reply
  7. Sandra says

    April 25, 2024 at 5:07 pm

    3 stars
    I have a Weight Watchers Smart Points calculator. its saying 8 points.. sounds yummy thow

    Reply
    • Cyn Gagen says

      April 27, 2024 at 1:15 pm

      That may be. This recipe was based on the Freestyle plan with ingredients in the basic recipe being zero points back in about 2017/18. Calculating with smart points would be different and it would depend on which variation you use.

      Reply
  8. Chris says

    June 16, 2025 at 10:25 pm

    2 stars
    I did the exact recipe and it almost tasted like just water. Does everyone put 8 oz of water or are people adding more tomato sauce then the 15oz?

    Reply
    • Cyn Gagen says

      June 22, 2025 at 10:01 am

      That’s so strange. As ours cooks, it thickens and sometimes we even have to then add a little more water to it to thin it down a little. You can certainly add more tomato sauce to it or just cut down on the water. It’s easy to add more water later if you need to.

      Reply
    • Cyn Gagen says

      June 22, 2025 at 10:05 am

      The other thing you could do is add in some crushed or diced tomatoes if you like it even thicker, I would definitely cut way back on the water or try adding no water at first and then adjusting later if needed as those types of canned tomatoes often have quite a bit of liquid in them.

      Reply

Trackbacks

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