“A deep smoky tasty vegan chili made with warm spices stewed in a rich delicious tomato sauce and finished off with a squeeze of lime.”
This vegan chili recipe is packed with flavour, from its smoky spice mix to its special sofrito base, it is sure to become a family staple at your dinner table. You won’t find another like this out there on the internet.
This chili has a satiating ‘meatiness’ that comes from the mix of kidney beans, baked beans and red split lentils. When complemented with the warming smoky flavours of the smoked paprika, cumin and coriander it turns into a taste sensation!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium white onions, chopped finely
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
- 2 medium carrots, chopped finely
- 2 large ribs (stalks) of celery, chopped finely
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 3 tbsp smoked paprika powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 tsp cumin powder
- 3 tsp coriander powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 150g dried red split lentils, rinsed and drained
- 500ml vegetable broth (alternatively 1 stock cube in 500 ml of water)
- 1x 400g baked beans canned, drained and rinsed
- 1x 400g kidney beans canned, drained and rinsed
- 1x 400g chopped tomatoes canned
fried tomato puree
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp of olive oil
(* 1 Tsp = 5ml, 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml)
How to make vegan chili
1. In a separate pan placed on a low flame, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and add to it tomato purée. Fry the tomato purée for 3-5 minutes until the puree has caramelised and turned a deep velvet red. Set aside.
2. Into a heavy bottomed pot heat olive oil and set over a medium flame. Once the oil has warmed, add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and 1 tsp of salt. Sauté the mix gently until the vegetables have sweated down and reduced in density by half. This should take approximately 10-15 minutes.
3. Next add the smoked paprika powder, dried oregano, cumin powder, coriander powder and bay leaf. Sauté the spices into the sweated vegetables for 60 – 90 seconds so the spices release their aromas.
4. To the pot add the washed red split lentils and vegetable stock. Allow the contents to come to a simmer and then cover with a lid. Cook the lentils for approximately 15-20 minutes, just until the lentils have soften whilst retaining their shape.
5. Finally add baked beans, kidney beans, canned chopped tomatoes and caramelised tomato purée. Stir the contents and cover the pot with a lid keeping the flame low. Allow the chili to cook on a gentle simmer for 40-50 minutes.
6. Once the chili has cooked take a masher and roughly mash half the contents of the pot to thicken the chili. Remove from the flame and cover with a lid until the chili is ready to serve.
Tips on making a good bowl of chili
Blend or Chop – To give the chili a pleasant and thick texture, blend the onions, carrots, celery and garlic together in a food processor. Of course if you prefer biting into deliciously soft chunks of carrot and celery, then cut your vegetable chunks a little bigger.
Adding Tomatoes – Only add the tomatoes once the lentils have cooked. Since tomatoes are an acidic food, adding them too early will slow down the cooking process.
Caramalise the Tomato Puree – Tomato puree straight out of the tube has a tart, mineral like taste that isn’t pleasant. So caramelising the tomato puree will concentrate the natural sugars in the paste and give the chilli a deeper and more complex flavour. Tomato paste is full of glutamates, which naturally enhance a dish’s umami, or savoury quality.
As stated above, we don’t want to introduce any acid before the lentils have cooked, so fry the tomato puree separately and add it to the chili as described in the recipe.
Mash the Chili – Once the chilli has been cooked, mashing half the contents gives the chilli a delicious and comforting creamy texture that will fool you into thinking it has been stewing for hours on end.
How to serve your vegan chili
You can serve your Chili with a number of different toppings. Here’s a full list of options:
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Chopped coriander leaves
- Sour cream or crème fraîche
- Sliced or diced avocado
- Tortilla chips
- Lime wedges
Alternatively, you could just have the chili on its own! The addition of lentils and beans makes this chili a hearty meal that is nutritious and satisfying.
Similar dishes that you could try
Is this recipe making you hungry? If so, check out some of these other vegan recipes too!
Flaky Beetroot and Potato Samosa
Comforting Winter Vegetable Curry
Vegan Green Lentil and Spinach Curry
Roasted Pumpkin and Curry Soup
Storing Suggestions
You can refrigerate your Tasty Vegan Chili in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Similarly, if you’re thinking of freezing the chili, when properly stored it will keep well for 3 months.
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Tasty Vegan Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium white onions (chopped finely)
- 3 garlic cloves (chopped finely)
- 2 medium carrots (chopped finely)
- 2 large ribs (stalks) of celery (chopped finely)
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 3 tbsp smoked paprika powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 tsp cumin powder
- 3 tsp coriander powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 150 g dried red split lentils (rinsed and drained)
- 500 ml vegetable broth (alternatively 1 stock cube in 500 ml of water)
- 1x 400 g baked beans canned (drained and rinsed)
- 1x 400 g kidney beans canned (drained and rinsed)
- 1x 400 g chopped tomatoes canned
FRIED TOMATO PUREE
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a separate pan placed on a low flame, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and add to it tomato purée. Fry the tomato purée for 3-5 minutes until the puree has caramelised and turned a deep velvet red. Set aside.
- Into a heavy bottomed pot heat olive oil and set over a medium flame. Once the oil has warmed, add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and 1 tsp of salt. Sauté the mix gently until the vegetables have sweated down and reduced in density by half. This should take approximately 10-15 minutes.
- Next add the smoked paprika powder, dried oregano, cumin powder, coriander powder and bay leaf. Sauté the spices into the sweated vegetables for 60 – 90 seconds so the spices release their aromas.
- To the pot add the washed red split lentils and vegetable stock. Allow the contents to come to a simmer and then cover with a lid. Cook the lentils for approximately 15-20 minutes, just until the lentils have soften whilst retaining their shape.
- Finally add baked beans, kidney beans, canned chopped tomatoes and caramelised tomato purée. Stir the contents and cover the pot with a lid keeping the flame low. Allow the chili to cook on a gentle simmer for 40-50 minutes.
- Once the chili has cooked take a masher and roughly mash half the contents of the pot to thicken the chili. Remove from the flame and cover with a lid until the chili is ready to serve.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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If you love this tasty chili, why don’t you check out our other vegetarian recipes? Like these satisfying vegan black bean and fennel meatballs.
Recipes consulted during the making of this recipe: cookie+kate’s vegetarian chili, saveur’s vegetarian chili and the hairy bikers chili con carne recipe.
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