Brothy Chipotle Beef Bowls with Summer Veggies

I love this late-summer recipe because it brings together some of my favorite seasonal vegetables with crispy, browned beef and a creamy, smoky, spicy chipotle broth. It’s the perfect meal for those first crisp evenings when summer starts to hint at fall.

And while this soup has a few different components, don’t let that deter you! It actually comes together pretty quickly, and the combination of flavors is absolutely worth it. My husband and I completely devoured our bowls and we're already looking forward to leftovers.

To start, I air-fried the zucchini until it was golden and a little crispy, although you can easily broil it if you prefer. While the zucchini cooked, I made the creamy chipotle broth by blending cottage cheese, stock, chipotle powder, paprika, and a few other spices until smooth and creamy. The cottage cheese adds a delicious richness and extra protein without needing heavy cream, making this a hearty but nourishing soup.

I kept the broth warm over low heat while I browned the beef, lightly charred the fresh corn, and steamed some rice. Then I piled everything into a bowl and poured that smoky, creamy chipotle broth over the top. After assembling all the bowls I went the extra step of drizzling some hot honey onto each bowl and that took it over the top! Don't skip this part! And if you don't want anymore heat, some regular honey will help tone this down a bit.

The result is a seriously delicious, protein-packed summer soup loaded with fresh vegetables, whole-food ingredients, and big bold flavor. It’s cozy enough for a cool evening but still makes the most of the late-summer harvest, which is exactly what I want this time of year.

I cannot wait to hear what you all think of this one! If you make it, don’t forget to leave a review and let me know how you liked it.

Brothy Chipotle Beef Bowls with Summer Veggies

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the Zucchini & Corn

  • 3 medium-small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

  • salt and pepper

  • 2 cups fresh sweet corn kernels or sub frozen

  • melted ghee or olive oil for cooking

For the Chipotle Broth

  • 5 Tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder

  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 3 cups beef broth or chicken stock

  • 1 cup cottage cheese

  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup

For the Beef

  • 2 teaspoons ghee or olive oil

  • 1 pound ground beef

  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup or honey

  • 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

  • 1/2 teaspoon unrefined salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For Serving

  • Steamed white rice

  • Cilantro

  • Pickled Jalapeños

  • Hot honey or regular honey for drizzling

Preparation

  1. Prepare the zucchini by tossing it in a little melted ghee or olive oil, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Set your air fryer to 425F and cook for 20-25 minutes or until golden and crispy (alternately you can broil for about 5 minutes, or until lightly charred). Toss zucchini halfway through cooking.

  2. Cook the corn in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet over high heat until lightly charred. Remove from the heat and keep to the side.

  3. Combine all the ingredients for the broth together in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and keep on medium-low heat to warm it up.

  4. While the broth heats up prepare the beef by adding a little ghee to a large cast iron pan. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat a bit until no longer pink and lightly browned, add the garlic, maple syrup, rice vinegar, salt, cumin and cinnamon. Cook until the beef is slightly crispy and browned up well.

  5. Divide beef, zucchini, corn and rice between four bowls. Pour in some broth and top with minced cilantro and pickled jalapeños. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper and drizzle with hot honey.

Notes

Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary

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