A warming and comforting vegan chilli con carne recipe that is healthy and nutritious at the same time. This recipe proves you can still enjoy your favourite meals whilst making the choice to eat meat free. The key here is the herbs and spices, this is what helps to deliver so much flavour within the dish. Make a big batch of this and pop some in the freezer, so you have a hearty meal to look forward to when you need it most.
Why you should make this Vegan Chilli Con Carne
It’s no secret that I am a big fan of batch cooking to ensure I have healthy nutritious meals to see me through the week. Batch cooking also means I’m not continually in the kitchen slaving away. For those that have a similar sentiment to me, this recipe is perfect to make ahead and freeze down for when you need to call upon it most. High in fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals this really is a powerhouse of a dish.
Other notable great things about this vegan Chilli Con Carne:
- Freezable: Make a big batch of this recipe and place individual portions of it in freezable containers for easy meals at a later date
- Rich in fibre: The kidney beans make this dish high in fibre, helping you hit that 30g a day quota a little more easily
- High in protein: The combination of the plant based mince with the kidney beans create a dish that is protein rich
- Gluten free: a hearty meal option that is naturally gluten free
What You are Going to Need to Make This Chilli
Vegan Mince: the options in UK supermarkets are going to vary a lot in taste and texture. My personal favourites are the Ocado soy mince and also the Viva Vivera plant mince. But Naked Glory and Meatless Farms also do great options. Some of the options (often the cheaper ones) tend to be quite spongey in their texture which isn’t something you want as part of this recipe.
Tinned Kidney Beans: pick a variety that is canned in water and wash them before use. You can of course use dried beans, soaking and boiling them, if you prefer them to the canned versions. However, I tend to opt for the canned varieties just to save on time.
Herbs and Spices: these really are the heroes of the dish and a staple in vegan cooking, giving it the depth of flavour that meat would usually provide. Whilst spices can become pricey in the quantities you’ll get through, have a look in the ‘World’ aisles of the supermarket as you tend to be able to get larger quantities of the spices for a much cheaper price. I definitely recommend the East End herb and spice ranges as a cheaper yet high quality alternative.
Tinned Tomatoes and Passata: the quality of tinned tomatoes can vary greatly. Some of the cheaper varieties have water added to them to dilute the flavour, so it is always worth checking the packet and picking the you can afford. Brands I generally cook with are Mr Organic or Mutti as I find these varieties really deliver that intense tomato flavour to the dish.
Dark Chocolate: now I know this might sound a little odd, but it really does add richness to the dish. Try to pick a bean to bar variety and you want a variety that is at least 70% cocoa. Varieties I love are Islands Chocolate and Divine.
Serving Suggestions
- Rice bowl: choose a brown rice to keep that fibre content up and cook according to packet instructions
- Fajitas: accompany the chilli with lettuce, tomatoes, japaleno peppers, natural yoghurt and a sprinkle of vegan cheese to create fajitas
- Nachos: chilli topped nachos make a great sharing dish. Top tortilla chips with the chilli. Add more tortilla chips on top, natural yoghurt, guacamole, fresh coriander and some vegan cheese. Then just pop in the oven for 5 minutes to bake
- Jacket potatoes: serve with a spoonful of natural yoghurt and the chilli for a hearty alternative
- Tacos: toast the mini taco wraps in a frying pan or griddle before piling them with the chilli and salad
Freezing Your Vegan Chilli Con Carne
Whilst this keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and actually gets better if you eat it the day after making, it is also freezable.
Why not make a double batch and freeze the leftovers. A hack to avoid waste is to keep leftover yoghurt pots or margarine tubs which are then perfect one person freezable containers.
Vegan Chilli Con Carne
Course: MainsCuisine: Savoury, Comfort FoodDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes40
minutesA warming and comforting vegan chilli con carne recipe that is healthy and nutritious at the same time. This recipe proves you can still enjoy your favourite meals whilst still eating meat free.
Ingredients
- Chilli Ingredients
440g Plant based mince
30ml Olive oil
1 Large red onion, diced
2 Red peppers, diced
1 Red chilli, diced
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tsp chilli powder
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
690g Passata
400g Tin plum tomatoes
400g Tin kidney beans in water, drained
2 Tbsp Tomato puree
1 Vegetable stock cube
75g Dark chocolate, grated
Salt & pepper to season
- Accompaniments
Brown basmati rice, cooked according to packet instructions
Avocado, smashed
Fresh coriander
Plain yoghurt
Directions
- In a large pan, heat the oil on a medium heat and saute the onion for a few minutes, until golden. Add your red pepper, garlic, chilli and dried spices to the pan. Combine well and cook out for a few minutes until fragrant
- Add your passata, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree & crumble in the stock cube. Mash up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes until starting to reduce
- Add your mince and kidney beans, turn the heat to low and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.
- Grate the chocolate into the pot
- Season to taste and enjoy! ?
Notes
I canβt wait to hear what you think of these Vegan Chilli Con Carne so please leave a comment below and tag me in your wonderful creations! Iβm @fortheutteroffood on Instagram and use the hashtag #theutterloveoffood. Iβm also on Facebook β please say hello!