Vegan Bean Chilli

A bowl of chilli with tortilla chips, vegan cheese, vegan sour cream and an avocado on top.

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5 from 1 vote

Our favourite vegan bean chilli!

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 148kcal

Author: Louise-Claire Cayzer

Ingredients

500 g dried weight of 3 types of beans. Try butter beans & black beans, cannellini beans & kidney beans.. One creamy & one with more texture seems to work well
OR 3 tins of beans 3 different types is ideal.
1 medium onion- finely chopped
4 garlic cloves -minced
glug olive oil
2 tins tomatoes
3 tablespoon of tomato paste concentrate
1 large red pepper/capsicum not necessary, but nice– finely chopped
a glug of red wine
1 small fresh chilli or one small dried chilli- finely chopped/minced- or more if you like it hot.
10 g dark chocolate about 2 squares
1 teaspoon mild chilli powder
2 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika OR use chipotle paste and omit the chilli and paprika.
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon cinnamon this gives a deep, scented background, strange, but it really works!
1 teaspoon cumin- ground
1 tbs vegetarian stock powder- I use Marigold dissolved in 1 cup warm water
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

If you’re using dried beans- soak them over night in plenty of water. At least 12 hours- or longer if possible. then rinse the beans & drain well then cook for around 45 mins until soft.
OR Rinse the tins of beans ready to add to the recipe.
In a large saucepan, gently fry the onions & garlic until translucent, add the chopped peppers.
1 medium onion- finely chopped, 4 garlic cloves -minced, glug olive oil, 1 large red pepper/capsicum
Add in all the spices & the tomato paste & fry for a minute until fragrant
2 tins tomatoes, 3 tablespoon of tomato paste concentrate, 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder, 2 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika, 2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs fresh thyme chopped, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cumin- ground, 1 small fresh chilli or one small dried chilli- finely chopped/minced- or more if you like it hot.
Add in the beans, tins of tomatoes ( I swish each tin out with a bit of water to get all the tomatoey goodness in), the glug of wine, bay leaves and the stock.
500 g dried weight of 3 types of beans. Try butter beans & black beans, cannellini beans & kidney beans.. One creamy & one with more texture seems to work well, OR 3 tins of beans, a glug of red wine, 1 tbs vegetarian stock powder- I use Marigold, Salt & Pepper
Put the lid on the saucepan & bring everything to the boil for 5 mins.
Then take down the temperature and leave on a gentle simmer for around 10- 20mins, stirring occasionally. Add extra water if you need to.
Test for spice balance at this stage too- add in more herbs or chilli if necessary. A splash of cholula sauce or other chilli sauce can be added if you think you need more of a spicy kick. Just at the end, stir in the dark chocolate and taste for seasoning.
10 g dark chocolate
Serve in a bowl with some herbs, a sprinkling of tomatoes, avocado or other garnishes as you like.

Notes

If you can wait the chilli is even better the next day. Don’t forget to freeze what you don’t use, ready for a lazy work day dinner or a warming lunch after a long gardening session.

Nutrition