Healthy Vegetarian Chili Recipe: Vegan + Grain-free (2024)

FAQs

What can I substitute for meat in chili? ›

Sorry, Texas chili purists, but beans can totally be your BFF when attempting to thicken chili. In a bowl, use a fork to smash ½ cup to 1 cup of kidney beans, pinto beans, or black beans into a paste. Stir this bean mash into the chili and allow it to simmer for 5 to 10 additional minutes.

As a Dietitian, I love a one bowl meal that has complex carbs, protein, plenty of veggies, and healthy fat all in one. This chili is packed with plant protein and filling fiber from beans and veggies, making it crazy hearty. Regular consumption of beans can help lower cardiovascular risk.

Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed." If that sounds a bit uptight, the ICS's Homestyle Chili competition defines chili as: "any kind of meat, or combination of meats, and/or vegetables cooked with beans, chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients.

Most Common Chili Spices. Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.

You can use polenta, arrowroot powder (a gluten-free vegetable root flour), or masa harina as a thickening agent if you don't have cornmeal. In Latin American cooking, chefs use masa harina—a type of cornflour—to make tamales and tortillas.

Pinto beans are also great! bulgur or quinoa - inexpensive and usually easy to find in the bulk bins at the grocery store, bulgur adds even more of a ground meat texture to vegan chili. Use quinoa for a gluten-free option.

Chili should be thick and hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but sometimes there's just a bit more liquid than you want in the pot. While you can simply keep simmering the chili, that method risks overcooking softer ingredients like the beans, losing all your nice texture to mushy monotony.

Cornmeal does an excellent job of absorbing extra liquids so adding a tablespoon of it to the chili will thicken the final dish. Mix 2 parts of cold water and 1 part of cornmeal, make it a slurry, and add this to the pot. Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes after you add the slurry.

Tomato paste. This is probably the easiest and maybe most common addition to add thickness to a chili recipe. Tomato paste is super thick and not only adds texture but adds a richer and deeper flavor to chili.

Which chili is the healthiest? ›

Green chillies have higher water content and zero calories which makes them a healthy choice for those who are trying to shed some pounds. Green chillies are a rich source of beta–carotene, antioxidants and endorrphins while red chilies consumed in excess can cause internal inflammation which results in peptic ulcers.

Kidney beans are commonly used in popular recipes like chili and rice dishes. These slightly sweet, soft beans are loaded with nutrients such as fiber, folate, protein, magnesium, manganese, and potassium.

The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans, like in this easy and tasty recipe. This 3-bean chili freezes great for meals later in the week. If you prefer thinner chili, add an extra can of tomato sauce. The green chiles are not hot and add a wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid to use them.

Now for the piece de resistance: 1-2 heaping Tablespoons brown sugar. The chili tastes completely different without the brown sugar so if you like a subtle sweetness in your chili then you've just got to go for it! Trust me, it will not make your chili taste like candy.

It depends on the cooking method. In the crock-pot/slow cooker I would never stir it or even take off the lid until it should be close to done. In a pressure cooker, the same thing. On the stove top, I stir often because as it thickens, you want to stir to prevent possible scorching on the bottom of the pot.

With only about 1 tablespoon per pot added toward the end of the cooking process, the vinegar will make the flavors more vibrant without overwhelming the dish with its biting tang. Through just a splash, everything becomes a little brighter, and the chili's flavors are more balanced.